Hail to the Hiccup
by deepfathom
Summary: (Currently undergoing revision) Tales of a dragon-riding Viking hero have spread far beyond the Archipelago. From a foreign land, a young man travels to Berk seeking the aid of the fabled warrior in defeating a mysterious, evil beast. -Based on the epic poem "Beowulf". (TW: blood, scenes of moderate creature violence, death)
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

Prologue

The sea heaved, tossing the single tiny boat on its back like it was nothing more than a twig, and the clouds roiled with wind and thunder and anger.

The lone and haggard soul aboard that boat had been charged with the most urgent of errands: to seek the aid of a legendary warrior. The unfortunate sailor was the only person that could be spared and the fate of his homeland and his kinsmen was in his hands. If he allowed the waters to take him, all he knew and held dear would be lost.

For days now, the man had fought to wrest control of the failing vessel from the grip of the elements and he now faced the doom of many a mariner foolish enough to challenge the gods. The storm was the last testament to the futility of his battle, and no matter how many prayers he uttered or oaths he swore, the ears of Asgard were deaf.

At last, the wrath of Thor and Odin and probably a great many other gods and goddesses combined into one massive wave. With an anguished cry, the man sent up a final plea as he was swept over the side and his boat dashed to bits.

Chapter 1

_Life on Berk isn't easy. It never has been and it never will be. It's small and out of the way, a bit isolated even, but that's not really a bad thing considering we're Vikings. As a rule, we generally don't get along well with neighbors. Sometimes we don't even get along with ourselves. There's always that one guy beating another over the head with a dead fish because of a few loose sheep or whatnot. And while that's perfectly normal behavior for the inhabitants of Berk, it's now my job to deal with it._

_ My name is Hiccup. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and I've been the chief of my tribe for a year. I'm nowhere near filling the void left by Stoick the Vast, the former chief who also happened to be my father, but I'm doing my best to be responsible for everyone on this island…which includes the sheep._

…

"Please tell me that's all of them," Fishlegs gasped, swinging the gate of the sheep pen shut as the last stragglers of the herd trotted inside.

Hiccup, covered in mud from head to toe, wiped his brow with a dirty sleeve. "Looks like it," he said, after taking a quick head count.

The wild storm that blew in from nowhere a couple days ago had caused no small amount of havoc around the island. Broken bits of village dwellings were spread all over as were various belongings and types of livestock. There were bound to be some incoming shipwrecks as well, so as soon as the last clouds rolled away that morning, Hiccup sent out most of the other riders to patrol the shores and open seas surrounding Berk.

Hiccup's post-storm duties as chief included overseeing repair work, sorting out minor squabbles among residents over which windblown splinters belonged to who, and rounding up the loose animals that had bolted at the first hint of thunder. And those animals were _everywhere_.

Locating scattered sheep around the nooks and crannies of Berk wasn't usually an issue for Hiccup and the other dragon riders. Most days, it was a fast-paced spectator sport, but this wasn't just another round of Dragon Racing. Hiccup and Fishlegs had their work cut out for them.

The sheep, normally content to stand around munching grass until being snatched by a dragon during a competition, were skittish and rattled by the storm and had retreated to the hardest-to-reach places they could possibly find. The chickens were not much better off, flapping frantically into the air at the slightest provocation. And the yaks posed a particular problem since a group of four had managed to maroon themselves on a rocky spire in the middle of the woods.

So it was that Hiccup the chief, his loyal assistant Fishlegs and the handful of Vikings and dragons that could be spared from the clean-up effort set out to bring back all of Berk's livestock. It was a long, muddy, ridiculous and frustrating affair that lasted most of the day.

Hiccup could breathe a little easier now that it was finally over with. A loud growl from his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything since early that morning. Things were relatively quiet right now. All the animals were safely back where they belonged, and nobody had come running to him with news of another tussle over property damage. Maybe, just maybe he could sneak off for a bite to eat and something cold and refreshing to wash it down with.

"I'll be back," he called to Fishlegs, "I'm starving." With a wave to signal his departure, he started down the hill toward the village. Not one to pass up the possibility of food, Toothless followed close behind, but paused after a few steps to shake his own coating of mud from his sleek black body.

"Aaack, Toothless!" said Hiccup, throwing up his arms as mud sprayed everything within fifteen feet. "Can't you do that someplace else?"

It wasn't until the words left his mouth that he realized what a stupid question that was. He was already a walking mud pile. A little more wouldn't hurt anything. Besides, if the dragon didn't get it all off out here, he'd do it in the house, and that would only make one more mess to clean up.

Fishlegs yelped as the mud-splatter reached him and Meatlug, both of which had somehow managed to remain fairly clean through the day's ordeal.

Toothless stopped shaking and grinned, licking his lips and rumbling happily.

"Don't worry, girl," cooed Fishlegs, wrapping his thick arms around his dragon, "once we get home, daddy will get you all cleaned up, oh yes he will."

Once he cleared a little of the mud from his face, Hiccup lifted an eyebrow. The weird relationship between the Gronckle and her master never ceased to baffle him and the sooner he was away from the awkwardness, the better. He gave Toothless a pat on the muzzle and was about to head out in search of food again when he heard the unmistakable beat of dragon wings. Toothless's eyes flicked up expectantly, causing Hiccup to spin around and look to the sky.

The group of riders was approaching fast with Astrid and Stormfly in the lead. The Deadly Nadder swooped in for a landing and Astrid was on solid ground before the dragon could even lower her wings.

Hiccup groaned inwardly. Of course something would be wrong now that he had a second to breathe.

"Hiccup!" Astrid rushed to him as the other dragons and their riders dropped in around them.

"Can it wait?"

"No! If this waits, we'll have a casualty and I'm pretty sure that's the last thing you want on your hands today." She made a good point. "We found him floating on a plank two or three miles from shore."

The young chief blinked. "What? Found who?"

Astrid took him by an arm and tugged him along after her to where Snotlout was dismounting Hookfang.

"He must've been caught in the storm. He doesn't look good, but he's alive…I think."

The "he" she was referring to was being unloaded none too gently from Hookfang's back by Ruffnut and Tuffnut. The waterlogged young man was not much older than Hiccup and just as skinny, but shorter. His hair was dark and the style of his clothes was strange to the Berkians. The most interesting part of his outfit, however, was the blue band he wore around his upper right arm marked with a crest none of them had ever encountered even in their farthest wanderings. This man was very, very far from home.

"Whoa, take it easy, you two!" Hiccup stepped in just in time to wrap his arms around the young man's middle and save him from a nasty drop at the hands of the twins.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut shared a confused glance.

"Why?" asked Tuffnut. "Guy's pretty much dead."

"Yeeeah, and I really don't think he needs your help getting the rest of the way there. Somebody go get Gothi."

Fishlegs responded by immediately hopping on Meatlug's back and flying off to find the village elder. In the meantime, Hiccup lowered the man carefully to the ground and began searching for any signs of life.

"Uh, just so you know," Snotlout spoke up, "he was alive when we picked him up and whatever happened between now and then wasn't my fault. Or Hookfang's."

Hiccup wasn't listening. There was no visible evidence that the man was still among the living, most likely from all the seawater in his system. There was only one thing to do and it wasn't going to be pretty. Quickly, he rolled him sideways and began pounding him on the back. The stranger didn't twitch and the prospects were looking bleak with every passing second.

"C'mon…" he muttered. "Don't do this to me, not today."

Astrid crouched beside him. "Here, let me try." She gave him one solid whack and a flood of water came spewing out of the young man's mouth followed by a horrible hacking fit.

"That's so gross," observed Ruffnut. "Think you can make'im do it again?"

Suddenly, the young man shot bolt upright, arms flailing, eyes wide and full of terror and a hint of irrationality. Everyone jumped back except for Snotlout, who was the first person the man came into contact with and grabbed around the legs, bringing him down hard.

"GAAAA!" Snotlout yelled. "Get'im off me! He's insane!"

Ruffnut waved him off. "Nah. Trust me, I know insane when I see it."

"This is more like mildly crazed than insane," Tuffnut chimed in.

"You're not helping!" Snotlout wriggled and kicked as Hiccup and Astrid came to his aid.

Not helping was what the twins did best. They shrugged. "Hey, no prob," said one. "Any time," said the other.

The young man continued to scream at the top of his lungs and the group was lucky enough to catch a few actual words underneath the rest of the nonsense.

"AAA—HELP! MONSTER! C-C-COMING—AAAGH! VILLAGE!"

"Take it easy," Hiccup grunted while trying to pry one arm from around Snotlout's legs. "We can't help you—rgh!—until you let—ngh!—_go_!"

"ST-STORM!" he cried, even louder than before. "BOAT! ALIVE?!"

Hiccup could see this was going nowhere. "Astrid, if you will?" he said, giving her a nod.

That nod was all she needed. With a swift knock on the head with the flat of her axe, the young man went silent and limp.

"Thank you," said Hiccup.

Astrid smiled sweetly. "My pleasure."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hiccup and Astrid sat across from one another at the table in the main room of the Haddock house, busy working out plans for village repairs over bread and bowls of hot broth. Toothless snoozed in the corner with a bellyful of fish, his deep, rumbling breaths signaling utter contentment and oncoming sleep.

The young man, buried in blankets and laying near the hearth, was still unconscious. Earlier in the day, Hiccup decided it would be best to bring him here to keep an eye on him. Gothi had done her best to tend to his many wounds, but his face was still terribly pale under the scrapes and bruises. It was now evening and the newcomer hadn't moved. Every once in a while, Hiccup checked for the rise and fall of his chest just in case.

Astrid swore over and over that she hadn't hit him that hard, so Hiccup had to assume that the young man was simply too exhausted to wake up. Sickly as he seemed, he looked almost peaceful, as if the forced nap brought with it some sort of relief from the troubles of a frightening reality.

"Where do you think he came from?" Astrid quietly voiced the question that had also been on Hiccup's mind.

He shrugged, shaking his head. There was no way to know until the young man could tell them himself. That opportunity wouldn't come for another twenty minutes when the two of them were deep in debate about the best way to prepare Berk for future storms. A low groan from behind them ended the conversation, which was probably a good thing, because both Astrid and Hiccup were starting to get a little agitated.

After sharing a quick glance, they dropped beside the young man as he stirred. Finally, his eyes opened and flicked back and forth between them blearily.

"Hi," said Hiccup. "Welcome back."

"W-where…where am I?" croaked the young man.

"You're on the island of Berk. My friends rescued you."

The young man closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. "Smells good…"

"We were just having something to eat," said Hiccup. "Want some?"

The young man winced as he sat up slowly, then nodded, suddenly looking eager.

"Sorry, it might be a little cold—whoa!" Hiccup jerked back as their guest snatched the chunk of bread and the bowl out of his hands and dug in like a ravenous wolf. "Eeeeehungry much?"

The food was gone in a matter of seconds. After wiping his mouth on the back of a hand, the young man looked up hopefully.

"D'you…d'you have any more?"

Hiccup blinked. He'd never seen a human being down a meal that fast. And that was saying something considering he lived on an island full of voracious Vikings that treated every meal like it was their last.

"Yeah, sure, sure. Here, take it all." He and Astrid gathered up every scrap left on the table and handed it over.

For a few moments, they watched with mild fascination as the stranger gulped down every bit and set aside the bowl. Then he sat back, face reddening slightly.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I don't usually do that. It's just…well, I ran out of food about three days ago."

"Wow," said Astrid. "You should definitely make sure you're more prepared next time. Or maybe not be a sailor. Like, at all."

"That's the thing. I'm not really a sailor, I'm a librarian. I was the only person who could be spared to make the journey."

"Journey?" Hiccup asked.

The young man nodded. "Right. My name is Hamish and I come from a place called Finmark. It's far south of here right next to Denland. You probably haven't heard of us, but we've heard a lot of interesting things about Berk."

Hiccup sent Astrid an uneasy glance. "Oh really?"

"Why would you want to find Berk?" Astrid added.

"Because of the monster," whispered Hamish, terror creeping back into his countenance. Any color his face had regained in the last five minutes drained out of it again. "It…it attacked our village one night in a fit of rage. No one knows what it is or where it came from." He swallowed. "We don't even know what it looks like because anyone close enough to see gets eaten. We call it 'Grabber'."

"That's…disturbing," remarked Hiccup, lifting an eyebrow.

"It comes only in the darkness. The village is in ruins, our livestock scattered, we're down to our last standing warriors and our people are being snatched up left and right."

"Have you thought of moving to a new place?" asked Astrid.

"Where? The Denlanders won't help us no matter how much we plead. They're afraid that if they interfere, the thing will come after them next. Finmark is our only home and there's nowhere else to turn. That's why I was sent here. We've heard the tales of a mighty chief with a fiery blade who rides on the back of a black dragon and commands a tribe of fierce flying warriors. They say that he can tame wild dragons with the blink of an eye and that he single-handedly defeated a gigantic beast when he was just a boy."

_Oh perfect…_ thought Hiccup.

"We need his help. Desperately. Perhaps with him on our side we can finally rid Finmark of this nightmare and restore peace."

Hiccup shifted uncomfortably, searching for the right words while his face flushed.

"Um…" he began, then cleared his throat. "Well, Hamish of Finmark, it's your lucky day because you're definitely in the right place and you've found the chief of Berk."

"Where is he? Please, take me to him, I need to speak with him!"

After an awkward pause, Hiccup spread his arms wide and cleared his throat. "That…would be me, actually. Heyyyy, what a coincidence, huh?"

Hamish seemed confused. "You? You're the…the _chief_?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes and sighed. "I knew this would happen someday. Yes. Yes, I'm Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, son of Stoick the Vast, Chief of Berk, all that stuff. That's me."

"Your name is…'Hiccup'?!" Hamish blurted, then backed off looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry. You're...not exactly what I expected, to be honest," he finished in a mumble.

Smiling slightly, Hiccup waved him off. "I get that a lot. Ok, so I don't exactly look like chief material or a hero or whatever. I do tame…uh…_train_ dragons. It just takes a little longer than you think."

"And he _did_ defeat a giant beast when he was young," Astrid added with an admiring smile. "Uh…young-_er_, that is. I won't lie, it was pretty awesome."

"Well, I had some help on that one, but—"

At that moment, Toothless stirred in his shadowy corner, yawned cavernously, and opened first one green eye, then the other while stretching his long body. With a yelp, Hamish started, eyes widening with fear, but Hiccup laid a hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok, he won't hurt you."

"It's…it's true! The rumors of the black dragon! They're all…"

Hamish froze, hardly breathing as the dragon tilted his head in curiosity, creeping forward a bit and snuffling. After a tense moment, Toothless seemed happy enough with him and showed his acceptance by giving him a sloppy welcome lick right on the face.

"Uggh!"

Hiccup pushed the dragon's snout away. "Toothless! C'mon, bud, give him some room!"

Hamish wiped some of the slobber from his face and flicked it off his fingers. "Gross. Does he always do that?"

Hiccup smiled. "Only if he likes you."

"Oh. Good…I think." The room dropped into silence for a minute or two. "So, you _do_ ride a black dragon. Do you really have a sword made of fire?"

"Yeah, he does," Astrid spoke up.

Hamish's face lit up with hope. "And…and the band of warriors?"

"That too."

"Listen, Hamish," said Hiccup, "all of that and stupid Viking baby-naming traditions aside, we can help you. I'll round up the other riders and we'll take a couple ships and head out first thing tomorrow. You have my word. But you've had enough for one night, so get some rest. You need it."

The newcomer nodded and sank back onto his bed of blankets with a relieved smile, silently thanking the gods that at least one of them had been listening.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"D'you really think it was a good idea to leave those three unsupervised on their own boat?" Astrid asked Hiccup.

"Well, they've survived so far," he replied. "Amazingly."

It was the evening of the fifth day of the voyage to Finmark. Since it was much too far for the dragons to fly, the Riders of Berk had to travel by ship. Two ships, to be exact, because there wasn't enough room for six dragons and seven people aboard only one. Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, their dragons and Hamish took the lead in the bigger boat and Snotlout, the twins and the other dragons trailed close behind in a second smaller one.

It hadn't been uncommon throughout the trip to hear loud arguments, banging noises, and see sudden bursts of flame followed by someone screaming about singed eyebrows coming from the second boat. Secretly, Hiccup was a bit relieved not to be in the direct line of fire of those three for a few days. On the other hand, he worried constantly that if he looked away for a second, they might kill each other or sink their own boat before they made it to Finmark, the latter of which would mean everybody and their dragons would have to squeeze into his boat. And that would be complete chaos.

"Hey!" he yelled out across the water as another bright flare exploded up from the smaller boat. "Don't make me turn this thing around and come back there!"

"I didn't do it!" came Snotlout's hasty reply. "Seriously! It was all the twins!"

"It was all us!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut had no qualms about openly admitting their involvement in any kind of calamity.

"But Snotlout might've helped a little," Tuffnut added. This was followed by a muffled "ouch", undoubtedly from Snotlout slugging him in the gut.

"Are we there yet?" Ruffnut shouted. "Tuffnut's being a huge baby and whining and complaining all the time!"

"Am not!"

"Ugh, do you two ever shut up?" Hiccup heard Snotlout bark.

"No," the twins answered together.

Hiccup groaned, rubbing his temples and waiting for more ruckus, but everything quieted down after that. Even Snotlout and the twins had to fall asleep eventually, and for that, the young chief was grateful. The quiet allowed him time to reflect on things other than babysitting his friends.

The storm had moved on to other parts and the gods, feeling generous, had provided a gentle wind to fill their sails. The sky was brilliantly clear and full of stars and the sea was calm, a complete turnaround from their savagery only days before.

Fishlegs snored curled up by Meatlug at one end of the ship. Stormfly and Toothless were resting on the other, nipping and growling playfully at each other before nestling down for the night.

These past days couldn't have been more perfect for a journey to a foreign land, but underlying the peace was an eerie sense of foreboding. It hung over Hiccup and wormed its way into the back of his mind where it spawned a cloud of doubt.

What would they find waiting for them when they landed in Finmark? Hamish's descriptions of the terror wreaked by this Grabber thing chilled him to the bone. Hiccup and the other Berkians were no strangers to scenes of destruction, but they were all caused by dragons. Hiccup could deal with dragons, but he had absolutely no idea what it was he faced at the end of this journey. It frightened him.

"You made the right choice, Hiccup," Astrid's voice interrupted his thoughts gently. "Just in case you were wondering."

Hiccup was silent for a moment. "Astrid, I…I don't even know what I've gotten myself into. What if it all goes wrong? I'm not the mighty warrior or hero Hamish thinks I am. I mean, you saw how he reacted back on Berk."

Astrid sighed, leaning on the side of the ship. "No, you're not."

Hiccup blinked. "Thanks. That makes me feel a lot better."

"No, no, what I mean is you may not be the exact warrior Hamish came looking for, but you _are_ the chief of Berk, and you earned that right in your own way. Being a hero doesn't always have to be about brawn, you know. You already proved that."

Hiccup chewed his lip while he contemplated this.

"Besides," Astrid went on, "part of your job as a chief is to look out for those who can't look out for themselves, right?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm not the chief of Finmark. They aren't even my people. I'd never even heard of them until Hamish showed up."

"That doesn't matter. The point is that once you did hear about them, you decided to do something about their problem. I think that gives a pretty clear indication of who you really are as a chief and, more importantly, as a person."

"And…and that's a good indication, right?"

Laughing, Astrid punched him lightly the shoulder. "Of course it is! How could wanting to help a whole village of strangers in a strange land not be good?"

"Hm," Hiccup shrugged. "There's always the possibility that I could, y'know, die. Where will that leave Berk?"

"Hiccup, we're Vikings. You could die just by stepping out your front door at home and getting smashed by a wild Gronckle. And remember, you're not alone; we have each other and we have our dragons. As long as we stick together, we can beat this thing. I know we can."

Hiccup smiled at her characteristic confidence, but the comfort Astrid's words had given him was short lived. A nasty heaving sound brought them around to find Hamish leaning over the other side of the boat, hurling into the ocean.

"Again?" Astrid muttered as she and Hiccup started across to him.

It was a wonder the poor man had even made it to Berk in the first place. Just looking at the ships rocking in Berk's harbor before setting out had turned his face a nasty shade of green. The people of Finmark must have been in really bad shape if he was their very last hope.

"I…I'm fine," he said weakly, wiping his mouth on a sleeve before turning and sinking down against the inside of the boat.

"We can see that," Astrid said.

Hiccup couldn't help but ask. "Hamish, have you ever sailed before? I mean, other than the trip to Berk."

"A couple times when I was little, but I always got sick, so everybody thought it was best to keep me away from boats altogether. That's why I'm a librarian, not a sailor. Sure, I've studied maps and _read_ about ships and sailing and how it all works, but I've never actually _sailed_ one…until this mess came up. Then I had no choice."

That explained a lot.

"I didn't want to go, especially not alone. I wanted to stay and help fight the monster, but noooo, only Leif and the other _real_ warriors could do that."

"Leif?" asked Astrid. "Who's Leif?"

"My stupid older brother, all wavy blond hair and glory and no brains. Our father, the leader of Finmark, was hoping for two of him. Instead, he got me, a skinny little bookworm who can't do anything right."

"There's nothing wrong with being skinny or a bookworm," Hiccup said.

"Try telling that to my parents," Hamish went on bitterly. "I'm pretty sure the only reason they sent me off to find a warrior who may or may not have actually existed was to get me out of the way."

Hiccup's insides twisted at the sad familiarity of Hamish's story. He'd spent most of his childhood trying to fit in, never meeting his tribe's or his father's expectations, until that one day when everything changed. It had been painful, terrifying, difficult, nearly fatal, but it _had_ changed and for the better. He laid a comforting hand on the young man's shoulder, wishing he could tell him everything.

"Hamish, have you ever thought that your father might have been trying to protect you and your people?"

"By sending me out into the ocean to die by myself?"

Hiccup took a breath. "Listen, sometimes as a leader you have to make some tough choices. If I had to make the decision, I think I would've shipped you off to Berk too."

"Hiccup!" Astrid scolded.

Hamish sent him a confused and slightly hurt glance.

"Sorry, sorry, that didn't come out the way I wanted it to. Just hear me out." He thought for a moment before going on. "Ok, I want you to put yourself in your father's boots for a second. Would you rather keep your son at home where his unique abilities as a researcher and not a warrior would probably get him eaten by a monster, orrrr," he paused for effect, one finger in the air, "send him and his brain full of maps and…other…useful stuff…to bring back help?"

The young man only looked more miserable and still didn't respond.

"Listen, Hamish, deep down, I think you know your father has faith in you. You gave him hope against all odds. Why else would you have stepped on a boat completely alone and traveled all the way to Berk not even knowing if it was real? That takes brains and a lot of courage."

"And talk about incredible!" Astrid put in. "How many people in Finmark can say they've done something like that? Just imagine the look on everyone's faces when you come sailing in with not just one warrior, but six. _And_ their dragons!"

Hamish looked up at them, smiling a little and seeming much less depressed.

"Maybe I've finally done something right," he said, "something that will help save Finmark and make my family proud."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

On the final day of travel, Hiccup's heart sank with every passing moment. They could see the smoky haze for miles before the land of Finmark was visible. Perhaps they'd arrived past all hope. Maybe Hamish's entire village had been destroyed, his people devoured or scattered by the nightmarish creature.

_Don't let us be too late,_ Hiccup prayed silently. _Please, please, please, Thor, don't let us be too late._

At last he breathed out a sigh of relief after noticing some movement on the docks as they glided into the harbor. There were still people here and Finmark was not yet a lost cause. Not entirely, anyway.

Hamish climbed up the prow of the boat and shouted at the villagers, waving his arms wildly. The people looked up from what they were doing, and their expressions rapidly changed from confusion to complete open-mouthed shock. One of them nudged another, who took off for the town, undoubtedly to find someone in charge.

Hiccup was rooted to the spot as the two ships came in, unable to fully comprehend what he was seeing. An eerie silence blanketed the place, sucking out all feeling and taking everyone's breath away. Even the dragons made no sound and remained absolutely still at the sight.

The village, or what was left of it, was a mass of smoke and shattered buildings against the dreary backdrop of the island's barren, marshy hills and the high craggy cliffs farther in the distance. Only one man-made structure, a vast and sturdy hall made of stone and strong wood, still stood proudly on the highest hilltop above the village. All around it milled the sullen but stalwart survivors of the brutal attacks.

It nearly made the young chief sick to take it all in, and for a moment, he thought about pulling a "Hamish" and hurling over the side, but he forced himself to stand straight, to keep looking, to keep feeding the desire to defeat this thing and help the people of Finmark.

"It's much worse than when I left," Hamish muttered.

"Hamish!" a deep voice bellowed as the ships slipped in next to a wide dock.

The owner of the voice, Hiccup noticed as he jumped out to moor the boat, was tall, blond, muscular and, well, very glorious. This had to be Hamish's older brother. No one else around fit the part.

"Leif…" Hamish grunted with a half-hearted nod as he landed on the dock. He didn't seem too pleased that his brother was the first to greet him after his long journey. Hiccup didn't blame him.

The older sibling pulled Hamish in a headlock and, ignoring the loud protests, ruffled his hair as a growing crowd of onlookers gathered.

"'Bout time you showed up, Ham," boomed Leif. "Everyone said you were gone for good. Things have taken a rather steep downhill turn since you left."

"I noticed," Hamish choked. "And don't call me 'Ham'."

Leif released his gasping brother and gestured to the two Berkian ships. "So, what happened to my boat?"

"Uh," Hamish mumbled, rubbing his neck, "about that…"

Leif crossed his arms and rolled his eyes and when he spoke, his voice was heavily laced with disappointment.

"Let me guess, you lost it, didn't you? Well, that doesn't surprise me. Good thing it was one of my least favorite."

Hiccup couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could this man be more concerned about a stupid boat than his own brother?

"The boat didn't make it," he cut in, unable to contain himself, "but your brother did. He made it to Berk like he was supposed to."

Leif looked up as if seeing him for the first time and raised an eyebrow.

"And who might you be?"

Hiccup took a step forward to stand beside Hamish. "My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. I'm the chief of Berk."

As if on cue, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins dropped down behind him from the ships. Hiccup gave a short whistle and the dragons exited the boats as well, stretching their limbs and wings and snorting, their claws tapping on the weathered wood of the dock. Toothless detached himself from the group and nudged his way through to Hiccup's side, rumbling and grinning happily as he bumped up against his friend.

"The rumors were true," said Hamish, failing to hide the excitement in his voice and gesturing behind him at his new friends. "This is the warrior we've heard so much about and his dragon riders. I found them! They're real and they've come to help us, Leif!"

There was a long, long pause where Leif and the group the other villagers gawked at the newcomers with some interest and a hint of awe. And then Leif exploded into laughter.

"This…_this_ skinny little…this is the great dragon-riding warrior?" Leif gasped between guffaws, pointing at Hiccup. "And what did you say your name was?"

"It's 'Hiccup'," Hiccup replied through gritted teeth, making a mental note to seriously consider changing his name to something a little more chiefly once they returned to Berk.

Leif bent over and slapped his knees. "Oh, Ham, you've really outdone yourself this time. Nobody expected you to actually _find_ anything when we sent you off on that voyage. And here you come back with a bunch of teenagers and oversized lizards and their peg-legged boy-chief! Well done, Ham. Well done."

"Whoa, whoa, we are _not_ teenagers," snapped Snotlout.

"Ouch," the twins said together.

"He didn't mean it, girl," Fishlegs cooed to his dragon. "You're not a lizard. You're beautiful and daddy loves you."

Hiccup's face flushed as Hamish drooped miserably, and beside him, he felt Astrid tense with anger and grip the handle of her axe. Hoping to stem that explosive temper before it boiled over, he rested a hand on her arm. As much as he would love to watch her tackle the guy, it would only create more problems on top of the ones they were here to deal with. He had no choice but to handle this calmly, with diplomacy, like a chief.

"Ok," he said, lifting his hands, "I have no idea what you've heard about us, but according to Hamish, you sent him to find help and here we are."

Leif wiped a tear from his tan cheek and stifled another snort. "You weren't supposed to be real. I mean, how could you be? All that talk of defeating beasts the size of mountains and training dragons and flaming swords… We sent him off in search of a myth to keep him from making things worse than they already are. We never once dreamed he would come sailing back to Finmark with you…such as you are."

"Oh, we're real, alright," Astrid snarled, advancing several feet. "Keep talking and we'll show you just how real we can get—"

Hiccup jumped in front of her before she could do any damage. "Okayyyy, ok, that's far enough, Astrid. Listen, Leif, I admit, we're probably not that impressive…"

"Hey!" protested Snotlout. "Some of us are more impressive than others!"

"…especially since you don't even believe we exist," Hiccup continued, "which is all sorts of awkward, but your brother told us about the terrible things happening in Finmark. We came all this way to sincerely offer our help."

Leif's face hardened. "What help can you offer us, you and your little band of so-called warriors," he spat with bitterness. "This thing has ground dozens of our best men into dust and destroyed our entire way of life. What can you possibly offer that we haven't already tried?"

"Well," said Hiccup, reaching for his sword, "there's always this." There was a sharp metallic swish as the blade extended and burst into flames. A gasp ran through the crowd.

"And we have our dragons."

Leif sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Yes, yes, so you actually do have a fire-sword and I can _see_ your dragons. They're not that easy to miss. And now we have a pack of fire-breathers to help burn down the rest of the village. Perfect."

Hiccup raised a finger as he quenched the flames of _Inferno_ and retracted the blade.

"Ah, but that's the thing. See, they only fire when we tell them to. We've trained with them every day for years now and they're all really impressive shots." Hiccup gave Toothless a pat on the nose. "Care for a demonstration?"

Toothless didn't hesitate. He threw back his head and sent blazing spurt of plasma into the grey sky where it exploded in a blinding purplish flash. The villagers ooh'ed and aah'ed at the spectacle, but the wonder turned into shrieks as a sudden fiery blast rocked the dock.

Hiccup turned to glare at Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Barf and Belch, the obvious culprits.

"Really, guys? Not helping, here!"

"What?" Tuffnut shrugged. "I thought we were showing off our dragons."

"No, no, you two just…just take it easy. No more fireballs, at least not until I tell you, ok?"

"Ugh," Ruffnut huffed. "Fine."

The appearance of _Inferno _and Toothless's show had gained some ground with the villagers, but Leif seemed more envious than impressed.

"As I was saying," Hiccup continued, "we came to help and what we have to offer might give your monster something to think about the next time it comes raiding. But if you want, we can always jump on our ships with our dragons and head back to the non-existent Isle of Berk. Your choice."

Leif's defeated huff was drowned out by the cheers of the villagers begging them to stay.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Much of the walk up to the hall was spent silently picking their way over and between piles of rubble. Hiccup and the other Berkians couldn't help but stop and stare at the destruction a few seconds every so often as Leif led them forward and the villagers from the dock tagged along behind. Some houses looked like they had been ripped clean off their foundations, while others seemed to have been trampled flat. The devastation was punctuated every few feet with slashing claw and bite marks, but the most unnerving part of the scene wasn't a sight at all. It was a smell. A strong, pungent stench reeking of rotting swamps, vicious hate and possibly Death itself.

This made the dragons especially uneasy and it took some coaxing to get them to follow their human companions. Still, they moved cautiously with their eyes wide and their nostrils flaring, occasionally stopping to sniff and growl, the spines rising on their backs.

Other villagers, busy rummaging through the heaps of former homes, glanced up as the band trooped past. Their grime and tear streaked faces were expressionless at first, then began to show signs curiosity and a glimmer of hope. By the time they reached the bottom of the steps leading to the hall, the crowd of people behind the Berkians had grown considerably, as had the excited murmur.

"Greetings!" a voice like the thunder of Thor broke over them from above, causing all heads to snap upwards.

Hiccup blinked. Were his eyes deceiving him or was one of the gods descending up on them right here and now in a sudden beam of sunlight? Wait, no, this man was too familiar to be a god: the tall, muscular build, the proud features, the gloriously long flowing hair. They were looking at an older, more grizzled, less chiseled and slightly grayer version of Leif.

"Whoooa," the twins breathed together, mouths dangling open in awestruck wonder.

"You can say that again," said Snotlout, sounding as if he were about to cry. "When I grow up, I'm wanna be just like him."

"If you _ever_ grow up," Astrid snorted.

"Leif, my boy!" said the father, clapping his oldest son hard on the back. "I've heard news that there are some new faces around Finmark." He gestured to Hiccup and his fellow newcomers. "Well? Who are they? Why are they here? And why do they have giant lizards?"

Leif sighed, looking less than ecstatic to be the one to introduce the visitors.

"Father, they say they're warriors," he grumbled while rubbing his forehead, "and apparently, they're here to help us fight Grabber _and_ they won't leave."

Hiccup and the riders straightened under the scrutiny of the old warrior's gaze. "Hm," he said at last, "they don't look like much, but who am I to turn away help?"

"But…but we don't need their help!" Leif burst out. "Look at them, they're nothing but children! The most they can do is—"

"You haven't even seen what they can do yet!" Hamish blurted.

"Hammy!" the Finmark chief opened his arms wide, a broad grin lighting up his weather-beaten face. "You're back! I was getting very worried that Leif's idea to send you over the sea in search of assistance was a terrible mistake."

"Oh, you noticed." Hamish couldn't hide the hint of relief that his father was actually glad to see him under the sarcasm.

"Right, then what was that little show at the harbor?" snorted Leif, continuing the argument.

"That was only a demonstration," Hamish shot back. "Besides, have you taken a look around here lately, or have you been too busy admiring your reflection and sharpening your sword to see what's happening to our home and our people?"

Leif's hand shot forward, grabbing a fistful of his younger brother's tunic and wrenching him right up to his red face.

"Leif!" shouted their father. "That's enough!"

"All you've done is made things worse," Leif snarled. "Do you have any idea what I've sacrificed to keep that monster at bay and our people safe?"

"Not much, apparently," Hamish retorted.

"I said, _enough_!" The aged leader moved to separate his quarrelling offspring, but he didn't make it in time. With a furious grunt, Leif shoved his younger brother hard and sent him sprawling backwards in the dirt before storming away.

Hiccup and Astrid hurried to help Hamish, but he scrambled to his feet before they could and pushed their hands aside.

"And we thought we had issues," Tuffnut muttered to his sister.

"One day, Leif!" Hamish screamed after his brother. "One day I'll prove you and all your stupid opinions of me wrong! One day you'll see that I'm not…" he trailed off as he realized all eyes were on him. His face reddened and his mouth opened and closed a couple times in complete humiliation. "Oh, forget it. Just forget it!" And he took off up the steps.

"Wait," his father called after him, "where are you going?"

"To the library. Where else can I go where I won't ruin _everything_?!"

An awkward silence followed the confrontation. Nobody quite knew where to look.

The leader of Finmark rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "Uh, yes, well, where did you say you and your lizards came from, again?"

"The island of Berk far to the north. I'm chief Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and these are my fellow riders." He had to wonder just how many more times he was going to have to introduce himself this way today. Or for the rest of his life, for that matter. "We're here to help any way we can, but let's get a couple things straight." He paused to aim a thumb behind him at the restless dragons. "First, these are _not_ lizards. They're dragons and we ride them. Second, Hamish deserves all the credit. He arrived on Berk half-starved and nearly drowned and found us just like you asked him to."

The chief of Finmark considered this for a moment, scratching his chin, then he smiled broadly.

"So all those outlandish rumors were true after all."

"Yes."

"Good work, Hamish, my boy," he added under his breath. "I knew we sent you out there for a reason. I knew I could trust you and all that stuff inside your head." He swooped an arm around Hiccup, nearly crushing him. "Well, then, Chief Hackup…"

Now that was just insulting.

"That's…'H-Hiccup'," Hiccup gasped as he was pulled along up the steps.

"Yes, welcome to Finmark…well, what's left of it, anyway. I am Holgarth, leader of this people and defender of this land. As you've undoubtedly gathered, I'm afraid we don't have much to offer in the way of hospitality at the moment."

"Completely understandable," Astrid answered for Hiccup, who was too busy trying to breathe to say anything. "Hamish told us all about your problems with the monster."

"Good, then I don't need to bother you with an explanation. We'll put you up in the Hall along with everyone else. By my orders, nobody sleeps outside anymore."

"Who would want to?" Fishlegs said with a shudder.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut banged their heads together with a loud clank. "Giant monster-themed slumber party! Awesome!"

"Uh…excuse me, your leaderness," said Snotlout, "won't it be a little crowded in there? Some of us and our particular dragons need our space."

"Oh don't worry," Holgarth reassured grimly, "the Hall is much bigger inside than it seems. And now that all our animals are scattered and missing, you and your dragons will have plenty of room."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Night stretched over Finmark just as Hiccup was stretched out on his back on the floor of the Hall. A fire smoldered in a cauldron near him and his friends and cast a warm glow on the tapestries and intricately carved pillars. Strong, proud hands had raised those pillars and had etched into them the histories of this people. This Hall, just like the Great Hall back on Berk, was ancient and full of memories. Hiccup couldn't bear the thought of what would happen to the Finmarkians if they failed to kill this Grabber.

Earlier, the Hall had been filled with chattering and laughter, sounds that probably hadn't been heard here for weeks. Unable to believe their luck, all the villagers crowded around the dragons and their riders asking questions, eager to see with their own eyes the living legends who were suddenly walking among them.

All except Leif, who sulked in the shadows, and Hamish, who was nowhere to be found.

Some riders had taken to the attention better than others. Snotlout and Hookfang, for example, were immediately surrounded by a group of giggling young women. Without skipping a beat, he showed off his muscles along with his dragon and began relating all the heroic deeds he'd ever accomplished thus far in his life, whether they were true or not. Wide-eyed, the girls hung on every word, much to his delight, and only served to fan the flames.

In another corner, the antics of the twins and Barf and Belch attracted a growing multitude. It started when one sibling accused the other of stealing a lucky knife. Then the two-headed dragon got involved and it all ended up with the twins duking it out on the floor while the onlookers cheered and placed bets.

And _everyone_ wanted to get a look at the chief of Berk and his black dragon. Toothless adored the attention, crooning at everyone who passed, even allowing some to give him a little scratch under the chin or accepting any offerings of fish they might present. Hiccup, on the other hand, was so busy meeting new people and answering questions that by the time the torches burned out and families retreated to their sleeping areas, he was thirsty and hoarse and a little tongue-tied.

Astrid approached him with a mug of water, which he downed in a few swallows.

"Well, aren't you just Mr. Popular tonight," she said, nudging him in the side and smiling.

Hiccup wiped his mouth on a sleeve and laughed. "Ha, I'm glad this type of thing never happens at home. This is so weird."

Astrid winked. "What, you're not used to all this fame and glory on Berk?"

Hiccup snorted and rolled his eyes. "Fame and glory on Berk? I don't think that's even possible unless you do something crazy—"

"Like train a Night Fury?"

Hiccup thought for a second. "Yeah…yeah, I guess fame and glory boils down to insanity on Berk, then. Thanks, Astrid."

"You're welcome," she said, leaning in for a light peck on his cheek. "C'mon. Let's go find somewhere to sleep."

"I vote we stay next to the cauldron of fire," Fishlegs piped up from right beside them.

"DAAA!" both Astrid and Hiccup yelped and flew apart from one another.

"Fishlegs!" Hiccup gasped. "Why do you have to _do_ that?!"

"Do what?"

"Just…just _appear_ out of nowhere and say things! It's creepy, ok?"

"Sorry. I heard you talking about finding somewhere to sleep and I only wanted to suggest that we Berkians stick together and stay by the cauldron. If the monster comes tonight, we'll have a better chance of being ready for battle. …And, it's slightly less terrifying," he added quickly.

For those few precious seconds he'd managed to steal alone with Astrid, Hiccup's mind had flown miles away. Impossible as it seemed given the conditions, he'd been hoping they could find a quieter, more secluded patch of floor to claim for the night.

No such luck.

Besides, Fishlegs brought up a good point.

"Right, right, good idea. I'll...I'll go gather everybody up, then."

And now here he was, on the floor in full armor next to the other riders, staring up at the ceiling and wondering what the night would bring. Of course it was uncomfortable and the others hadn't been too keen on staying in their battle gear for the night, but Hiccup, with the help of Fishlegs and Astrid, had insisted that they be ready.

Everyone else in the Hall—dragons, riders, villagers—were sound asleep, but there was too much going on in Hiccup's mind for him to drift off just yet. He was worried, not to mention it was a little stuffy being sandwiched between the glowing cauldron and Toothless's warm belly.

Hamish's words raced through his head.

_It attacked our village one night in a fit of rage. No one knows what it is or where it came from. We don't even know what it looks like because anyone close enough to see gets eaten._

From what Holgarth had told him, it had been several nights since the monster's last attack. If Grabber came back looking for more blood, it wasn't going to find any in the former village. All of the livestock were lost and all of the town's inhabitants were safely locked up in the Hall out of its reach.

Hiccup couldn't help but feel that Holgarth might have made a crucial mistake by corralling all the humans in the one place…but then again, what choice did he have? Sleeping outside of these walls was an automatic death sentence. At least in here they had a fighting chance.

There was nothing any of them could do but prepare for the worst and meet it head-on when it came. He was determined to be ready, but he was exhausted.

Hoping to shake things up a bit and keep himself at least partially awake, Hiccup turned sideways to where Astrid slumbered peacefully on a pile of furs less than a foot away from him. She, as usual, was as prepared as a Viking warrior could get while still managing some shuteye. Her axe was resting closer to her than even Hiccup was and he could see the rise and fall of Stormfly's spiny flank just behind her. This sight and the thought that at the first sign of danger, the two would leap up bristling and ready for anything was comforting to him.

It was comforting enough that he lost the fight against his drooping eyelids and fell into a doze.

…

The first thing Hiccup's brain registered through the blackness was the chill. It wasn't a normal chill, like a winter draft in the night, but more like an ominous harbinger of doom. The chill of Death. The next thing, which was what brought him all the way round again, was the smell. It was that same terrible scent that permeated almost every area of the village, but had not yet reached inside the Hall…

Until now.

Hiccup's frame went rigid. The coals in the cauldron had burned off to mere embers and the shadows of night were now free to creep in and curl their fingers around every prone form.

Then, from somewhere down in the ruined village echoed the scream. It was piercing, cold, unearthly, the sound of evil in its purest form.

And it was coming to slaughter them all.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Through the darkness, Hiccup witnessed Astrid's eyes snap wide open. Instantly, her hand flew out to grip the handle of her axe. He put a finger to his lips and they both tensed, breathing hard as Stormfly and Toothless stirred on either side of them.

Like some great, shadowy cat, Toothless rose and stalked silently toward the Hall's massive doors, a low growl rumbling deep inside his chest. It was a dark, primeval noise, and coupled with the rising of the spines running on his arching back, it was nothing short of terrifying. For a moment, the growl faded and the Hall was once more saturated with silence.

Time seemed to freeze then, solidifying the air, stifling all noise and stopping their hearts. For several agonizing minutes, Hiccup stared at Astrid and she stared right back while they both strained to hear anything else coming from outside. Neither of them could decide if there really had been a scream or if their minds, hyped up on horror stories, had only dreamed it.

Not a whisper passed between them. Maybe if the monster realized there was nothing left for it in the village, it would move on and they could track it down in daylight. Maybe if they all stayed absolutely quiet, absolutely still, it would never know where they were. Maybe, thought Hiccup, sending up a plea to any god who would listen, it could be that stupid just this once.

Suddenly, the entire structure shook to the core as something hit the mighty front doors with the force of a battering ram. The incredible noise echoed through the hall, bringing every human and dragon bolt upright in a scene like a fast-paced rising of the dead.

Hiccup and Astrid sprang to their feet as the thing sent out another howl that went through them all like a poisoned arrow.

"Ew. That thing sounds just like our grandma," Tuffnut said as he and the other riders hurried to join them.

"Everyone!" Holgarth's voice boomed over the growing chaos. "To the back entrance! We can get out that way if the Grabber breaches the Hall! Hurry!"

Torches and cauldrons flared back to life as the people, quick to heed the words of their leader, began flocking to the farthest corner with Holgarth shouting more instructions.

The horrible reek slipping in through the cracks forming in the doors attacked their senses and was becoming nearly unbearable. If anyone had been harboring doubts that the monster truly was on their doorstep, they disappeared with the wave of smell.

"Uggh!" Ruffnut wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Something's rotten in Finmark. What _is_ that?"

"Wait," said her brother, "I thought that was you."

"Really bad timing, guys!" Hiccup barged between them before they could start another brawl. "You can kill each other when we're done killing the monst—"

The doors were pummeled once again and the creature raised another howl. Everyone stopped what they were doing to cringe and cover their ears. The doors would only hold for so long without help.

"What's the plan, Hiccup?" Astrid shouted as the din of panicking people resumed in the Hall. "Hiccup? Where'd you go?"

Hiccup didn't answer. He was too busy hauling one of Holgarth's heavy wooden tables across the floor toward the entrance. Toothless bounded to the opposite side to nudge it along with the flat of his head.

"I don't believe it," Snotlout said, slapping his forehead. "He's redecorating! How can you think of redecorating at a time like this? You should probably come up with another plan, like, um, right now!"

Astrid took a wild guess at Hiccup's idea and ran to another piece of hefty furniture. "Shut up and grab a table, Snotlout! I think we're building a barricade!"

Riders and dragons sprang into action, grunting and huffing with the rapid effort of blocking the entrance with tables, chairs, benches, empty cauldrons, _anything _available. Soon enough, the remaining Finmarkian warriors, Leif included, came to their aid and with the combined effort, the pile in front of the doors grew to a mountainous height.

When the last piece of the barricade was balanced on the tiptop by Fishlegs and a flapping, grinning Meatlug, Hiccup spun around with his back to the pile to brace it with his own strength. The others joined him in the same position. The horrible thing outside made a few attempts at breaking down the newly reinforced doors, and then stopped, dragging a heavy, unsettling quiet over all.

This couldn't be good. The dead silence was interrupted here and there by scratching and muffled snuffling as the creature investigated its sudden inability to rattle the doors. Hiccup knew it was going to get in one way or another, it was just a matter of time.

He glanced sideways at Astrid, who was already staring at him. She trembled slightly, her chest rising and falling heavily as drops of sweat slid down her face, but her eyes were alight with that battle-glow he knew so well. He reached over, taking her hand in his and squeezing it, more to reassure himself than anything.

"Think it'll hold?" she whispered.

"Doubt it. This is just a distraction."

"And when it fails…?" Leif asked from Hiccup's other side, sounding as if he naturally expected the worst.

"Then we fight. That's what we're here for, isn't it?"

"I don't like this plan," muttered Fishlegs. "I really, really, _really_ wish we could make a better one."

"Keep wishing," Snotlout grunted.

Another scream ripped through the eerie stillness, piercing their souls, nearly sending them to the floor with nerve-wracking pain. Each and every one of the warriors were jolted violently as the full weight of the monster crashed into the doors behind their haphazard barricade. Again and again the monster threw itself at them, shrieking with bloodthirsty rage. The sturdy doors groaned and the barricade shuddered as dust and splinters rained down from above.

"Ok, I think it's mad enough," Tuffnut commented. "Should we let it in now? This is gonna be awesome!"

"No, you moron!" snapped Snotlout. "That's exactly what we _don't_ want to do!"

"Oh."

"Leif!" Hiccup yelled above it all. "It's time to start getting everybody out the back way!"

"If you think I'm leaving, then you've got another thing coming!"

How unbelievably stubborn could a man get? "This is _not_ the time to argue! I'm telling you, Leif, we can't hold this for too long. You and your men need to get your people out."

"No! My place is with you among the warriors!"

In a sudden burst of frustration, Hiccup lurched forward and gave the much bigger young man a forceful shove. "Your place is with your people and it's your job to protect them first. Now get them out of here! Go!"

Leif hesitated as the other Finmarkian warriors rushed to help Holgarth usher the villagers through the back doors. Then, with one last look seething with bitterness, he turned and followed them.

Hiccup returned to his post with his back to the barricade alongside the riders. He knew they probably weren't doing much, but it felt better than merely standing there waiting for the whole thing to come tumbling down. They watched as the villagers funneled out of the hall and the dragons bristled in anticipation of a heated battle. A few more seconds…just a few more seconds…

And then, with a resounding crash the barricade blew apart, sending tables, chairs, dragons, Berkians, chunks of wood and splinters catapulting in every possible direction. For a few seconds, Hiccup was struck senseless by the noise and the pain of being buried alive under the wreckage. Bruised and dazed as he was, however, there was no time to recover. Grabber had arrived, and what an entrance it was.

He struggled through the debris, shoving aside wood and bits of stone and metal until he heard a snort and felt a jet of hot breath on the back of his neck. Toothless growled and clamped his jaws carefully around his best friend's arm, dragging him all the way out of the destruction.

"Thanks, bud." Hiccup gave the dragon a quick, grateful pat and straightened to face the huge terror framed in the doorway by pale moonlight.

For half a second, he froze, breath catching in his chest.

It was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Not even the fiercest, most wicked dragons he'd met could compare with the evil this monster pulsated with. What was he thinking? Of course they didn't! They were dragons and he was used to dealing with them on a daily basis. This was something else entirely.

Shrouded in black shadow, it stood upright on two short but powerful legs and its long torso was bulky with raw muscle and bound with taut sinew. Two gigantic arms sprouted from its sides and ended in claws that could easily rival those of the largest Monstrous Nightmare and tear a man apart with nothing more than a flick. Its wolf-like jaws gaped open and greenish, luminescent saliva dripped off the jagged, silvery fangs inside.

And the eyes.

The absolute worst part was the eyes. They loomed a bright, bloody red out of slitted lids, seeming to bore into Hiccup's very core. This was no dragon. This may not have been even a creature of earth itself, but a being spewed up from the darkest, most forgotten corner of the underworld.

The half a second of observation was over. Hiccup snapped back into action and threw himself onto Toothless's back, bringing out his sword and setting it ablaze as the dragon let out a tremendous roar.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Spacious as the Hall was, there was no space to allow a dragon to take full flight. Nevertheless, Toothless was lightning fast on his feet, but Grabber was a split second faster. Just as he and his rider left the ground, a giant, clawed hand shot out and jerked Hiccup right out of the saddle. The young chief cried out, dangling by one leg in the tight grasp while he watched both his sword and Toothless crash to the ground.

Grabber lifted him high over its head, jaws gaping open as if preparing to swallow him whole. The foul breath threatened to overpower Hiccup's every sense, but it was nothing compared to the terror of suddenly staring down into the bottomless gullet behind the smell. Flailing, he nearly dry-heaved, but pulled himself together enough to seize the small knife concealed in his armband and mount a slashing assault on the limb holding him.

The monster barely flinched, growling and seeming to regard Hiccup's attempt at freeing himself as nothing more than an annoyance. It did, however, notice when Toothless's jaws clamped around one of its haunches. With a shriek, the thing let Hiccup fall and began a crazed dance, trying to shake off the scaly attacker. The dragon held firm, snarling and slobbering like a rabid dog.

Dizzy from the close encounter and the sudden drop, Hiccup picked up his sword and struggled back to his feet just in time to be shoved to the ground again. Astrid had appeared beside him.

"Everbody down!" she yelled, then looked to her dragon as everyone but Grabber hit the floor. "Stormfly! Spine-shot!"

The Deadly Nadder gave a shrill squawk as the spikes on her tail fanned out. With a swoosh, Stormfly whirled around and whipped her tail like a scorpion's stinger. The riders covered their heads and ducked as the spiny darts whistled through the air. A few hit their mark, but the rest glanced off the monster's thick hide and only served to infuriate it more.

"Huh, that usually works," Astrid muttered angrily before leaping up and charging forward with a swinging axe and a terrifying battle cry. Hiccup, sword ablaze again, was quick to follow, and together they took a mighty leap, aiming for the softer underbelly.

In the half-second before their weapons could deliver certain death, Grabber twisted around, snatched up a wooden bench and brought it down hard. The pair barely managed to split and throw themselves out of the way before the makeshift club hit the ground with a mighty crack, sending splinters flying everywhere.

"Ok, did _not_ see that one coming," Hiccup muttered, rubbing the shoulder he'd landed on.

"Look out!" Fishlegs yelped a few feet away from him.

Immediately, Hiccup flattened himself against the cold stone and was relieved to feel Toothless's warm, protective bulk suddenly materialize over him. In a fresh fit of rage, the monster spun around and around like a fanged, hairy maelstrom, nearly mowing down all dragons and riders in the immediate vicinity with the jagged remains of the bench.

"INCOMING!" Hiccup heard Snotlout holler.

Still on the ground, the chief peered out from under the dragon's wing in time to see the the bench sail overhead and clobber Hookfang in the head. The Monstrous Nightmare roared in pain and reared to his full height, only to hit the ceiling of the hall with incredible force. Bits of the thatched roof rained down as Hookfang came crashing to earth on his side where he lay still, eyes glazed and smoke curling feebly out of his nostrils.

"NO!" Snotlout sprang to his dragon's side, laying a hand on the long neck. "Ok that's it," he spat, eyes flashing as he straightened and planted himself firmly between the advancing Grabber and Hookfang, raising his sword. "Nobody picks on my dragon and lives! NOBODY! Come at me!"

"SNOTLOUT, WAIT!" Hiccup was on his feet in an instant, but before his outstretched hand could reach the other rider to shove him out of the way, the monster's arm swooped across his path, sweeping both him and Snotlout aside and into a nearby pillar.

The world and the battle around them spun sickeningly for a few seconds. As his vision cleared, hiccup could vaguely make out the hulking shape of Grabber as it plucked a hovering Meatlug out of the air mid-lava belch and threw her to the ground along with a hysterical Fishlegs. Then it lurched forward and sank its teeth into Hookfang.

In an effort to regain his breath, the chief coughed and gasped as he pushed himself up from the ground and reached for his sword. He had to think quickly. The monster had the advantage while they were still inside. There was no room for the dragons to fly and without the use of their firing capabilities within the Hall, they were as good as dead.

Without another moment's hesitation, Hiccup sprinted forward. "Outside!" he yelled over the din to the other riders, motioning toward the doorway. "We have to force it outside!"

"Um…how exactly did you plan on doing that?" Ruffnut asked as he passed.

Hiccup picked up speed and let out a yell, swinging his sword high above his head. Catching on to the idea, Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly joined in the advance followed by Barf and Belch and finally the twins.

Grabber blanched for a moment at the unexpected onslaught, but the brief lapse in confidence was short lived. Seeming to tap into some new well of strength and terror, the beast filled its lungs and unleashed its most earsplitting scream just as the little group was about to make impact.

The sound reverberated between the walls of the building, its power amplifying beyond anything it could have been outside. Everyone, dragons and riders alike, were floored and had no choice but to fling down their weapons and cover their ears as the wave of audible pain rolled over them.

How could it end like this? The wail would keep them pinned to the floor in agony until they all perished one by one from shattered skulls. Once the monster finished with them, it would move on to devour the rest of the village. They had failed.

It was only after this string of horrifying thoughts that Hiccup realized the pain had stopped and the ringing echo of the scream was all that remained in his ears. Cautiously, he opened first one eye, then the other to peer at their would-be destroyer. The great creature seemed frozen, as if confused by some new occurrence and unsure of what to do next.

"Hey!" someone yelled through the doorway behind Grabber. A second later, a heavy object collided with the back of its head. "You want a piece of me? Then come and get me!"

"Hamish," Hiccup whispered hoarsely, half horrified, half overjoyed at this last minute miracle.

Slowly, Grabber turned.

"Ohhhhh no…" said the librarian.

"HAMISH, RUN!" Hiccup bellowed as he picked himself up and jumped onto Toothless's back.

Snarling and howling anew, Grabber wasted no time in pursuing the newcomer as he bolted down the crumbling steps leading to the village.

"Go, go, go!" Hiccup ordered the remaining riders, and without waiting for anyone else, he and Toothless shot out of the hall and up into the cold night air in a streak of black. Astrid and the twins quickly followed suit as their young chief began barking orders. "Ruff, Tuff! I need a distraction!"

"Are you saying we can _finally_ make that fireball?" Tuffnut questioned.

"Yes! Yes, make the biggest fireball you can all around Grabber! Make sure it can't see anything. Just don't light it up until I give the word."

The twins pounded the air with their fists and grinned wickedly.

"Say no more," replied one.

"One mega-ball of fire comin' right up, Your Chiefness!" said the other.

"Astrid!" Hiccup continued. "Once I pick up Hamish, come in from behind and pelt it with everything you've got!"

"On it!" Astrid confirmed.

Toothless, who had been keeping a keen eye on what was happening on the ground, gave a warning snort, bringing Hiccup's full attention to the little screaming speck below that was Hamish.

"C'mon, Toothless!"

The dragon needed no further urging. His body tilted toward the ground and his muscles tensed as he brought them into a fast dive toward Barf and Belch's growing green gas cloud around the monster. Grabber slowed its chase, confused for a moment by this latest development, then lunged in a final attempt to flay the annoying little human in front of it.

Maybe the gods had finally decided to show him some mercy, or perhaps it was just a lucky coincidence, but at the very moment the terrible claws swiped out, Hamish tripped and they caught nothing but empty air. It was then that Hiccup swooped by at high speed and grabbed Hamish by the arms as Toothless pulled them out of the dive and corkscrewed back into the heavens.

"NOW!" Hiccup hollered to the twins.

There was a spark and then a searing blast of heat and light on their backs as the Zippleback gas ignited in a stunning bloom of flames.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut exchanged a high five. "Yesss!"

Enraged and blinded, Grabber flung itself to the ground, as if doing so would rid it of the sudden noise and pain. While it writhed and howled, Astrid and Stormfly flew in, spitting a barrage of crackling fire.

Up in the safety of the empty sky, Hiccup hauled a shaking Hamish to a seat behind him on Toothless.

"Th-thanks," gasped the wide-eyed librarian.

"No problem." Hiccup smiled at him over his shoulder. "Least we could do for the guy who ultimately saved our butts back there."

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Hamish's mouth.

Hiccup nodded. "Alright, hang on, we're going down. Let's finish this, Toothless!"

Again, the Night Fury hurtled nose-first toward the growing cloud of smoke and flame. Hamish yelled out in surprise at the speed, wrapping his arms tightly around Hiccup's middle.

"Plasma blast, NOW!"

A purple ball of light burst from the dragon's mouth. It streaked toward the cloud and penetrated it with a blinding flash before he rocketed upward again.

"WHOOHOO!" Hiccup whooped, pumping his fist and giving Toothless a much-deserved scratch behind the ear. "Nice shot, bud! If that didn't take'im out, I don't know what would!"

The group circled the devastation from above several times, only daring to drop back to earth when the sparks and smoke at last died down enough to reveal the charred, unmoving mass on the ground.

As he slid off the saddle, Hiccup could feel the lingering heat of dragon fire on his face even though they'd been careful to land a good distance away. For a quiet moment, three dragons, four riders and one Finmarkian librarian all stood squinting into the thick haze before them. Not a sound could be heard—no deathly wail or snapping jaws—and nothing but the heap in the distance remained to suggest any kind of evil presence had been there.

"Ugh," Ruffnut grunted, waving a hand in front of her nose, "smells worse than before."

"Is it dead?" They turned to see a red-faced Fishlegs supporting Snotlout on one shoulder coming toward them from the direction of the Hall. Meatlug limped close behind.

Hiccup was relieved to at least see Snotlout and the Gronckle on their feet again. It was probably going to take a little more time for Hookfang to recover.

Snotlout shoved Fishlegs away. "I don't need your help. I'm fine."

"So, is it dead?" Fishlegs repeated, casting a hesitant glance at the remains in the smoke cloud. "Did we do it?"

In answer, Hiccup drew _Inferno_ and extended the blade. He held it out in front of him and the flame licked hungrily at the floating embers in the air. Cautiously, he took a step toward the fallen beast.

"Hiccup…" There was a note of quiet warning in Astrid's voice, but the chief continued forward, only pausing every now and then to wave away the ashes.

Just as he came within a foot of the stinking heap, a low, throaty growl froze Hiccup in his tracks. Suddenly, the beast twisted back to life and lunged. Grabber had one last surge of strength, one last surprise, and it meant to do as much lasting damage possible with its dying breath. Before the others could react, Hiccup sprang forward with a startled cry and drove the sword hilt-deep through the monster's heart.

The red eye-slits widened with shock, the flames behind them dulling to smoldering coals and then nothing at all. Its marauding days were over, and it knew it. The mouth uttered one final, mournful moan as the limbs shuddered and buckled. Grabber stumbled.

"Uh-oh," said Hiccup, scrambling backwards, but before he had a chance to move completely out of the way, the great dead beast tipped forward and landed right on top of him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Out of all the strange things that had happened to Hiccup in his twenty years, getting flattened by a gigantic dead monster was possibly the most disgusting. Fortunately, the other riders and Toothless were quick to come to the rescue of their leader and friend. Within seconds after the world was suffocated by damp, matted hair and that stomach-churning stench, Hiccup heard Astrid shouting his name and ordering the others to help her.

_Oh, praise Thor_, Hiccup thought as they rolled Grabber's carcass off to the side and he could take a breath again. It wasn't the most rewarding breath since it was the farthest from fresh one could possibly get, but he took it anyway, just grateful for opportunity. Now that his lungs had resumed working, there were only two things left on his mind: roll over, throw up.

"Uuugh!" came the collective response from beside him.

"Ha, nice going, Hackup!" Snotlout snorted.

Hiccup didn't care about the jab. All that mattered now was getting as far away from the battle scene as possible before giving a repeat performance. Without bothering to stand, Hiccup crawled a good ten feet until he flopped to his back to catch his breath again.

"Hiccup!" Astrid crouched beside him, careful to keep her distance and still be close enough to look him over. Toothless was quickly by his side as well and this was usually the part where the dragon would give him a relieved, sloppy lick up one side and down the other, but he recoiled in disgust, nostrils flaring.

Hiccup didn't blame anyone for not wanting to be closer to him than was absolutely necessary. He was smeared in luminescent monster spit and a good amount of black blood, not to mention the overdose of smell.

Astrid was shoved aside before he had a chance to respond and replaced by the much less welcome faces of the twins hovering over him, their eyes alight with morbid fascination.

"Quick!" said Tuffnut. "Say something!"

"Yeah," Ruffnut chimed in, "we wanna know everything! Tell us what it was like under there!"

"He already did," Snotlout snickered, "or weren't you two watching?"

"I bet it was dark," said one twin.

"And heavy," said the other.

"Did you get any of its hair on you? Can we have it?"

"Ooh! Maybe there's some stuck in his armor!"

Horrified, Hiccup scrambled sideways before they could start picking at him. "Okaaayyy, I think my personal space's been invaded enough for one night."

Thankfully, Hamish pushed his way through the twins. His face was split with a wide, ear-to-ear grin and he seemed to be having difficulty containing his excitement.

"That…that was _awesome_!" he blurted, clenching his hair in his fists.

Fishlegs wrinkled his nose. "You think somebody puking all over is awesome?"

"No, no, not that! That was gross. I meant how he finished off the monster. He…he just…bam! With the sword and…and that was incredible!"

"No, that was a surprised reaction," Hiccup muttered before using Snotlout—who happened to be nearest to him—to pull himself up from the ground.

Snotlout was less than amused.

"Hey, watch it, I'm injured, here! Aw, gross!" he yelped as the filth-covered Hiccup made a particular effort to lean into him for support he didn't actually need.

"Tell me about it," said Ruffnut. "He smells like a rotting whale carcass stuffed in an outhouse."

"_Orrrr…_a rotting outhouse stuffed in a whale carcass!" Tuffnut exclaimed, lifting his eyebrows up and down a few times. "Ah? See? Works either way."

"Oo-hoo-hoo, good one!" The twins shared a nice, hard helmet-butt.

"That doesn't even make sense!" said Fishlegs, throwing his hands in the air.

Astrid shook her head. "Since when does anything those two say make sense?"

"Thank you, Ruff and Tuff," sighed Hiccup, letting go of his human crutch and attempting to wipe some of the slime from his face. "As always, it's been a pleasure holding a conversation with you."

…

With the first rays of sunrise came a surge of villagers, eager to confirm the fate of their worst nightmare. Could it be true? Were they at last free of the death and terror they had endured for weeks on end?

When every last Finmarkian resident had seen it for themselves, Holgarth ordered the carcass destroyed. The dragons were all too happy to oblige and in a combined blast, the monster's remains were engulfed in cleansing fire. No one stayed to watch the flames eat away their hated enemy, though a few spat into them as they turned their backs and left behind the vile black smoke of their sorrows, their sights now set on the mighty Hall.

All that day preparations were made to celebrate their freedom and the ones that had returned it to them. Some began to mend the gap in the roof while others hurried to decorate the Hall and lift it out of the gloom it had known for too long. Torches and cauldrons were lit, bright banners were draped from the rafters and the sounds of happiness and music rang out once again.

At first there didn't appear to be much food to go around, but the resourceful Finmarkians scraped together what they could find. Every so often throughout the day, a villager or two would turn up with something new to contribute and soon there was enough to officially label their celebration a "feast". The fantastic smell of cooking drifted out of the Hall and down through the ruined town, chasing away the foul stench that had formerly occupied it.

Now, as the shadows deepened outside, Hiccup sat alone at one of few unbroken tables in Holgarth's warm and shining hall, the twisted remains of his sword _Inferno_ spread in front of him. He hadn't intended it for use as a deadly weapon. It was more of a tool to pacify and train wild dragons. Be that as it may, the sword had proved itself very capable in a variety of defensive situations and the fight against Grabber had been no different.

"Can you fix it?"

Hiccup looked up as Astrid sidled along the bench and stopped beside him. There were two large, overflowing mugs in her hands and he gratefully accepted one without question.

"Yeah, I think so. It'll just take a little time."

He paused to take her in for a moment. Astrid, now dressed in a cream tunic over red leggings and boots, was a vision of happiness, cheeks slightly pink, her loosely braided hair sweeping across one shoulder. She gave him a warm and knowing smile before taking a sip of the frothy contents of her mug and leaning into him.

"Owowow!" he yelped, cutting off moment and making her jerk back in surprise and concern.

"What? What did I do?"

The after effects of the intense battle and the anxiety leading up to it were beginning to make themselves known to Hiccup rather blatantly.

"Aahh, nothing, nothing," he mumbled through a grimace.

"Oh, come on. You don't usually say 'owowow' when I do that…most of the time, anyway."

"Hm. And just how am I supposed to explain this to you, o seasoned warrior that happens to be my significant other?"

"Try me."

Hiccup shrugged, then immediately regretted it as stiff pain shot through his joints and shoulders.

"Ok, then," he continued after a wince, "let's see if I can sum things up for you." He raised a hand and began ticking items off on his fingers. "Getting buried under a pile of solid wood furniture, bashed around a couple times by an oversized monster and then having said oversized monster flatten you to top it all off can really bring out the burn in those muscles you never remember you have."

Astrid blinked. "Really? I feel fine."

"You fighter types never understand," Hiccup grunted. "You're always training and jumping around and throwing axes at things."

"Oh, really?" She laughed and took another pull from the mug. "So, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Well…I do know one trick that might help."

As much as it hurt to move his arms, he circled them around her and slowly, carefully drew her closer. The kiss was well worth the pain.

"Mm," Astrid mumbled as she leaned back grinning. "For what it's worth, you sure smell a lot better."

"Ahaha, very funny."

Just as he was about to go in for another kiss, a cringe-inducing slap landed between Hiccup's sore shoulders.

"Hackup, my friend!" Holgarth's red-faced greeting rolled over them like a glorious thunderclap. "The feast is about to begin. You and your riders shall join me in a place of honor at my table. Come!"

Pain still radiating through his back from the over exuberant greeting, Hiccup couldn't help but exchange a smile with Astrid before offering her an arm and trailing after their host.

Holgarth's long table was one of the only ones left unscathed by the battle. He seated himself right at the center of it, his two sons on his immediate left, and gestured for Hiccup and the other Berkians to take their places on either side. All obliged, except for Snotlout, who was still busy showing off his "battle wounds" to the same group of admiring young women he'd entertained the night before. Hookfang, his side wrapped in bandages improvised out of large strips of tent canvas, rested comfortably behind him in the glow of a burning cauldron.

Adjacent to them, two more tables, including the one Hiccup had occupied just moments before, began filling with chattering villagers. The rest of the people, especially the children, were content to spread out on the vast floor, grouping around shields or planks of wood that served as makeshift eating surfaces. The dragons, sensing the peak of the excitement that had been building all day, closed in behind their humans, growling and snuffling in anticipation of full bellies.

Then Holgarth stood and stretched his muscly arms wide. "My people!" his god-like voice boomed between the pillars bringing everyone, dragons and humans alike, to a hush. "Tonight we gather in this, the great Hall of our forefathers, to honor the memory of those who have been taken from us too early at the hands of evil." He raised his mug, prompting all in the room to do the same. Solemnly, they drank.

"Now," the Finmarkian leader lifted his mug higher, allowing some of the foam to slosh over the lip, "let us celebrate victory over our enemy!"

"Victory! Victory!" The mighty cheer went up with the mugs and seemed to raise the roof of the Hall.

Holgarth raised a hand. "But let's not forget the ones who journeyed here to aid us in our darkest hour." He seized Hiccup by an arm and pulled him abruptly to his feet. It was all the young chief could do not to yelp out in pain in front of everyone. Instead, he forced a smile. "All hail Chief Hackup and the mighty Dragon Riders!"

"That's 'Hiccup'," Hiccup muttered in Holgarth's ear as Astrid failed at concealing a snort to his right.

"Oh, yes, yes, my mistake. May the gods forever smile upon our friends from the Isle of Berk! All hail Chief Hiccup!"

Hiccup felt his face flush as the citizens of Finmark (all except Leif, who sat staring into his mug) chorused "Hail to the Hiccup!" over and over again. Completely unused to such accolades and altogether unsure of the appropriate chiefly protocol for the moment, Hiccup could only nod modestly until the shouts died down.

"And finally," Holgarth continued as Hiccup quickly seized the opportunity to sit down, "our celebration would be meaningless if not for the efforts of my son…"

Leif looked up at his father, eyes regaining some of their formerly proud gleam.

"…my son Hamish. Without his bravery and willingness, help would never have arrived and all of Finmark would have been utterly destroyed."

Hamish's eyes widened in disbelief at the sound of the villagers chanting his name, and no one, not even the dragons, noticed Leif's sullen departure from the table.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Hiccup returned to Holgarth's now nearly empty table with another helping, plate heaped high with dried fruit, fresh honey-colored sweetbread, and fish cooked and seasoned in a delicious way he had never tasted before. He couldn't remember the last time he'd stuffed himself like this. Maybe he was famished from the battle, or maybe it was the array of foreign and exciting flavors…or maybe it had something to do with the three-and-a-half empty mugs scattered around his space at the table. The latter, he guessed, was probably it. The drink, like everything else about the place, was different from what he was used to. A tad stronger, spicier even. It was odd to feel something other than the standard Berkian brew sloshing down his throat, but a few swallows in, the liquid gained his solid approval. In fact, he approved of it so much that the room had begun to spin just enough to skew his vision without making him sick. Not yet, anyway.

A broad, scaly snout nuzzled its way under his arm.

"Oh, there you are," Hiccup said with a hint of a slur, giving the dragon a loving pat. "You finally decided you like me again now that I don't smell to Valhalla?" Toothless crooned apologetically before gulping down the bite of fish the Viking slipped to him. "Aw, no hard feelings, bud. I would've avoided me too if I could."

A raucous burst of laughter went up from behind, piquing their interest. The twins were at it again, this time tossing fish into the air for Barf and Belch to catch in front of a growing audience. Their antics had even attracted Holgarth, who guffawed and slapped his knee each time a fish was caught and swallowed or the two heads of the dragon squabbled. In another corner, Fishlegs was gushing excitedly about Boulder Class dragons to a group of fascinated children. Meatlug, always happy to be his visual aid, lay grinning and grunting in the middle of it all, soaking up every ounce of attention. Across the way by the far wall, Hiccup could see Astrid chatting with a few warriors, undoubtedly deep in conversation about all things armor and the finer points of axe-throwing. As for Snotlout, not much had changed since before the feast. He was still showing off and he was still surrounded by adoring fans. In the center of the Hall, the rest of the citizens danced while onlookers clapped along to the quick tempo of flutes and drums. Everyone, it seemed, was too wrapped up in the celebration to bother paying attention to the Mighty Chieftain at the moment.

Hiccup wasn't at all upset about this, merely glad to be a quiet bystander now instead of the main attraction. He smiled as he watched the Finmarkian people rejoice in their liberation from long-endured darkness. Now that the ordeal with the monster was behind him and the village was safe, he was looking forward to the return journey. These people were kind-hearted and brave, not unlike his own, but they just weren't…_his_ people. This wasn't where he belonged. Isolated, cold and rugged as it was, he preferred Berk to the swampy dampness of Finmark. Berk was waiting for him.

The sudden desire to be elsewhere was almost magnetic, drawing his mind away from the festivities to faraway clusters of small wooden houses and the familiar faces of the people that occupied them. Finally, the pull became so strong that it forced him to his feet. He swayed for a few seconds before Toothless nudged in to steady him. It was time to get out.

"C'mon, bud," he said to the Night Fury. "Let's get some air, huh?"

Dragon and rider made for the back exit, hoping to make it out before any villagers noticed and decided to slap him on the back again. He'd had about as much of that as he could take for one night (or for the rest of his life) and he had a feeling that if it happened again, there was a good chance the feast he'd just annihilated would make an unwelcome reappearance. He'd already thrown up once on this trip. He wasn't about to do it again.

It took the two of them to heave the thick wooden door open and it was nothing short of refreshing to feel the salty night breeze on the other side of it. Immediately, Hiccup's head began to clear and he stood for a moment as the door groaned shut, eyes closed, breathing in the scent of the sea. The wind was coming from the North, from his homeland. He could almost smell the Archipelago on it.

"You miss home, don't you?"

Hiccup opened his eyes, turned and looked down to see a human form at the bottom of the steps. The voice belonged to Hamish and he appeared to be resting quite comfortably on the last step with his back against the foundation of the Hall, open book in hand. Apparently, the young Finmarkian considered moonlight an acceptable source of illumination to read by.

"Yeah," Hiccup responded, gingerly lowering his sore body onto the top landing, "yeah, of course I do, but…we traveled here to help you."

"Well, you did, and for that we will be forever grateful. But you _do_ have every right to feel homesick, you know."

There was a pause while Hiccup mulled something over. "It's strange, though. Toothless and I used to spend most of our time exploring the farthest reaches of the Archipelago. The sky was literally the limit and there was always a new island to discover, a new place to map out. The world was so impossibly vast and interesting. You have no idea how many times my dad got after me for not being in Berk when I should have been—responsibilities of the chief's son and all that, but now…" he trailed off, observing a wave as it broke over a jutting rock with a mighty crash, "now that I'm the one in charge, it's…different. This is the farthest from home I've ever been and…and somehow I can't wait to get back to that frozen chunk of rock."

Hamish closed the book with a soft snap and sat up. "That makes sense. Really, it does. After all, I felt the same way when I was stuck in a leaky boat in the middle of the ocean. And as the chief, you have a deeper, more unique connection to your home and your tribe than anybody else. It may not be the most attractive or hospitable chunk of rock out there, but it's yours. Maybe you don't understand that connection yet, but I think you will someday."

Hiccup chuckled and shook his head. "How d'you know so much about being a chief, anyway? I mean, you sound like a village elder or something. What're you, like seventeen?"

The other young man shrugged, contributing a half-smile of his own. "Nineteen, actually. And you're forgetting I'm the librarian of Finmark. I have access to every record of every chief that has ever lived here and I have a lot of time to read them. It's my job."

"When you're not busy rescuing a bunch of dragon riders from certain death or winning over the whole village, you mean."

Hamish responded to the chief's teasing grin with a broader smile.

"Speaking of the village," Hiccup continued, "what're you doing out here? One minute you were at the table, the next, poof, you're gone. I got a little carried away with the feast after that and I didn't exactly see you make your escape."

"Simple. Feasts really aren't my thing, so I thought I'd come out here and watch the rest of the monster carcass burn instead."

Hiccup blinked. "Well, that's…entertaining, I guess, in a weird, disturbing sort of way."

"Just kidding," Hamish snickered, waving him off, "I really needed a breather. And it looks like you and your dragon did too."

Toothless rumbled happily as Hamish climbed a couple steps and reached up to give him a light pat on the head.

"It _was_ getting stuffy in there," said Hiccup, "and I think we both know that hanging out with a bunch of drinking, dancing Vikings in an overly warm and crowded space is a terrible idea."

The two of them shared a snort and the pause that followed allowed a new thought to surface in Hiccup's mind.

"So…where'd your big brother go, anyway? Haven't seen him since your father's speech."

"Ugh, who knows," Hamish huffed and rolled his eyes. "He's probably off sulking in some corner and buffing that stupid fat shield of his with his own tears."

"Or maybe he's standing here listening to you insult him."

Hamish, Hiccup and Toothless jumped as Leif's sturdy frame appeared from around the corner.

"Leif!" Hamish squeaked. "Wh-what're you doing here?"

"I just told you, didn't I? Don't worry, I only caught the last few sentences. Anything else you want to say?"

Hamish closed his mouth, pursing his lips into a thin line as he glared.

"I'm pretty sure he insulted your shield, not you," Hiccup stepped in quickly. "And…maybe also happened to express some emotionally charged personal opinions along the way…out loud, unfortunately. C'mon, guys, do you have to do this right now? I mean, everyone's happy, there's a party, great food…a full moon. Can't you bury the hatchet just this once?"

"Chief Hiccup," Leif addressed him much more formally than he ever had before, "I've been looking for you."

Hiccup didn't like the sound of this. "Well, I've been in the Hall this whole time. You couldn't have just walked in and picked out the skinny guy with the all-purpose peg-leg?"

To his surprise, Leif's gaze dropped to the ground and his square shoulders drooped. He'd only known the man a couple of days, but this seemed like abnormal behavior for such a proud Viking.

"Actually, I-I've been thinking and I…I came to say I'm…I'm…" he swallowed, struggling to find the right words, "what I mean is…I came to say I'm sorry."

Hamish's eyebrows shot upward in shock. "You…you what?"

"I was talking to the chief, not you."

"Oh, of course." Hamish scowled in exasperation. "I should've known."

Then, in a single swift move, Leif drew his sword and dropped to one knee before the Berkian chieftain, bowing his head in solemnity.

"Uhh…what just happened?" Hiccup shot a confused glance at Toothless, who seemed just as perplexed.

"It is custom in our land for a warrior to offer his most prized weapon to the one who bested him in combat," Leif said, placing the sword flat on his palms and raising it into the air ceremoniously.

"Oh for the love of Odin's eight-legged horse…" Hamish put in.

"Whoa, wait, hold on," said Hiccup, waving his hands. "What're you talking about? Are you saying I'm 'the one who bested you'? The only guy I—er—_we_ bested around here was Grabber, and that was kind of an accident."

"You did what I could not," Leif went on. "You conquered my foe, freed my people from misery and torment and—"

"No, Leif, we only came in to help clear things up at the very end. You've defended your village for weeks—"

"Take the sword."

"What? No!"

"Please? You'll like it. I call it _'Hrunting'_."

"'_Hrunting_'? What kind of name is… You know what? Never mind."

"Take it!"

"I can't, Leif! It wouldn't be right—"

"Would you at least hold it for a bit, then? It really is a nice sword."

Hiccup winced as Hamish's elbow caught him sharply in the side.

"Just go with it," mumbled the librarian. "Humor him or you'll never hear the end of it."

Hiccup sighed, barely managing to catch himself before executing a tremendous eye-roll. "Ok, ok, fine, I'll hold the sword if it'll make you feel—holy Serpent of Helheim, how much does this thing weigh?!" he blurted in surprise as the leather bound hilt was thrust eagerly into his hands. The mighty blade tipped forward, threatening to take the young Viking down along with it. Hiccup tottered there on the verge of disaster for a second, then threw one leg forward, saving himself from an embarrassing face-plant in the nick of time.

He was beginning to wonder what the appropriate chiefly amount of time would be to hold on to the sword for diplomacy's sake when something snatched at his attention. He could have sworn he'd witnessed the slightest shadow, the faintest movement in the orange glow of the Grabber's smoldering remains. Was he seeing things? Had those three-and-a-half drinks actually done that much damage to his senses?

He let the point of the sword drop into the dirt.

"Hey, be careful with—" Leif started to protest.

"Did you see that?" Hiccup whispered and pointed. "Down by the fire. Look."

Silently, the three young men squinted into the dark as that unnerving primal growl began bubbling up from deep inside Toothless's chest again. Hiccup tensed. If the dragon was on edge, it meant the shape was not conjured by his imagination. Something real was lurking there. Something dark and evil.

Collectively, the group stiffened as the silhouette of a lithe, wiry creature materialized in front of the smoking pile of ashes. It stood on its hind legs and threw back its head, sending up an eerie, almost mournful howl.

"Thor's thunder," Leif breathed, "the beast has come back from the dead to seek revenge."

"It can't be" Hamish's voice wavered with fear. "That's impossible."

Hiccup's mind raced, trying to piece together any kind of logical explanation. Grabber was dead. There was absolutely no doubt about that. Where could this new terror possibly have emerged from?

And then everything clicked.

"A mate," he voiced his conclusion aloud.

"What?"

"A mate," Hiccup repeated quickly, almost stumbling over the words. "It makes total sense! This has to be a mate, and when Grabber never came back, it came looking. And now it's very, very mad. Ooooh, this is not good. This is so incredibly not good."

"No," Leif growled, his words seething with pure anger. "No, this cannot happen again!" He lunged sideways, swiping his sword out of Hiccup's hands before charging down the hill toward the fire.

Hiccup, Toothless and Hamish sprang after him.

"What're you-wait! Stop!" Hiccup shouted.

"I will not stand idly by while our people are yet again threatened by this scourge!"

"Leif, please! We need to warn—" Hamish's desperate plea was drowned out by his brother's enraged war-cry.

Startled by the sound, the beastly newcomer wheeled around to face them as they approached, a pair of bright green eyes looming out from the shadow of its face. From what Hiccup could observe while sprinting, its thin body was more sinew than muscle and much smaller than its counterpart's, but sported the same wolf-like head and fangs, the same viscous claws. It hissed and crouched as Leif advanced upon it, revealing the most significant difference between it and its lost companion: a massive pair of wings.

Undeterred, Leif galloped on, swinging his sword high above his head. There was no stopping him. He was going for the kill.

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup's command had barely left his lips when a blinding purple fireball exploded out of the dragon's mouth and soared over Leif's head, hitting the creature directly.

With a scream, it collapsed, writhing in pain, but as Leif leaped in to finish the job, it twisted upright, claws out and jaws snapping. The warrior's assault was thwarted by the unexpected recovery and his sword-strike went awry, slicing into the creature's arm instead of its heart. It was a glancing blow, but enough to draw blood and enrage the animal further. It shrieked, gripping at the injury as Leif overbalanced and went crashing to the ground.

The creature, incapable of mercy, quickly pinned down its prey with one long arm while the lips of the hovering mouth pulled back from the teeth in a menacing grimace. It was as if it were delighting in providing this pitiful attacker with one last horrific sight before his demise. The mouth gaped open—

"LEIF!" Hamish shoved past Hiccup and Toothless and before either of them could stop him, he threw himself between the creature and his brother. He screamed in agony as the bone-crushing bite that was not meant for him snapped shut over his arm and shoulder like a trap.

"HAMISH! NO!" Leif cried.

The monster couldn't care less about who or what it had seized, only that something small and human would pay in blood for the unforgivable crime. With the screaming librarian dangling from its fangs, the creature spread its wings.

Leif and Hiccup scrambled to catch a hand, a leg, a piece of clothing, anything to keep Hamish on the ground where he belonged, but their efforts fell short by mere inches. Grabber's mate took to the sky.

…

The festivities inside the Hall were settling into a calm murmur. The last of the dancers faded with the music, leaving the space in the middle of the Hall vacant. Full, happy and exhausted, small groups migrated to the walls where they talked quietly of the promising days ahead. But the hopeful, sleepy hum was shattered all too quickly as two men and a dragon burst in through the remains of the front doorway.

"There's another one!" Leif gasped, causing no small stir to run through the crowd. "Another monster! It's taken Hamish!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Hall erupted into the total chaos of a group caught fully off guard. Warriors rushed for their weapons and parents scrambled to gather their children as Holgarth instructed them all to remain calm. Hiccup was halfway across the room already, heading for the corner where the riders had stashed their gear.

"Hiccup!"

Astrid, battle axe in hand, dashed up beside him, trailed by Fishlegs and the twins.

"Hiccup, what's the plan?" she panted.

"We're going after Hamish." He dropped into a crouch by the pile of Berkian belongings and began frantically rummaging through them. He hadn't counted on needing his armor again on this trip, so it had been cleaned, set aside and forgotten during the celebration. He shoved aside various bundles of clothes, dried food and a rather alarming collection of mushrooms that obviously belonged to the twins until at last he found the knapsack containing his gear. With a grunt, he yanked it out of the heap and loosened the drawstring.

"Ok, I'm coming with you—"

"No, you're not."

"I'm not?"

Hiccup stood, stepped into the leather tunic and pulled it up and over his clothes.

"Astrid, I need you to stay here and help guard the village."

"Fine, but Hiccup—"

"You, the other riders and Holgarth's men should set up a watch around the Hall. Make sure nothing gets through and no one goes outside. There's no telling if there're more of these things out there."

"I know how to organize and lead a patrol," she huffed. "Hiccup, I—"

"And take Snotlout with you. He's not really injured, just putting on a—" He only had one arm through the breastplate when Astrid seized his chin in her hand and turned his head so that he was looking directly into her eyes.

"Hiccup, we've got things covered here. I just wanted to say…please, _please_ be careful." Leaning in with his chin still firmly between her thumb fingers, she planted a quick, almost urgent kiss on his lips. "Berk needs its chief, and…and so do I." She let go and gave him a punch in the arm for added emphasis before whirling around to join the other riders as they ran to their dragons. "You'd better come back alive, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III," she called over a shoulder, "or I'll pummel you for having your ashes spread on this Odin-forsaken island and not properly on Berk where they belong!"

Hiccup blinked. "Uh…yes, thank you, Astrid," he muttered under his breath. "As always you know exactly what to say to cheer me up."

Frayed nerves made his hands tremble as he returned his focus to getting the other arm through the breastplate and settling it over his chest. Next, he fastened the many straps, set the dorsal fin on the back and wound the spring mechanism in the front.

Questions raced through his mind in a dizzying stampede as he slipped on his armguards and cinched them tight. Why had the monster carried Hamish off instead of killing him on the spot and moving on? And what could he and Leif possibly hope to do once they located him, if at all?

Hamish's haunting scream still lingered in his ears, accompanied by the brutal reality that their only chance to save him now was Toothless's speed and their own strength and cunning. Thanks to his generous sampling of the Finmarkian brew, however, Hiccup was feeling more confused and anxious than strong and cunning at the moment.

When the last strap was buckled, Hiccup gave himself a hasty once-over, making sure everything was in place. One careless mistake, one tiny malfunction in the flight suit or armor could mean the difference between life and death, not only for him, but for Hamish and Leif as well. That was a risk he simply could not afford to take.

_Suit, breastplate, fin, spring_, he checked off silently. He was as ready as he could ever hope to be…except for one crucial item: his sword. _Inferno's_ mangled remains lay useless at his feet among his other belongings, as if mocking him in his most dire hour of need. Thankfully, finding a substitute weapon in Holgarth's Hall wouldn't be much of an issue, Hiccup noted as he spun around in search. A plethora of swords lay scattered and abandoned where their owners had dropped them earlier that evening. Feeling slightly more optimistic, he broke into a run and snatched one off a nearby table, shoving it into his belt as he sprinted back to the entrance where Leif and Toothless waited.

Once the group moved out to the Hall's moonlit front steps, the young chief vaulted easily into the saddle and Toothless flexed his wings in preparation for a swift takeoff, pausing every few seconds to sniff at the air and pick up the trail that would help him plot their course.

"Get on," Hiccup ordered.

"What?" blurted Leif.

"I said get on," Hiccup repeated impatiently.

"You want me to ride on that flying lizard? With you?"

Toothless emitted a low, insulted rumble.

"Yes. Get on."

"On…on its back?"

Hiccup had had enough. "Listen," he growled through gritted teeth, "for the last time, 'it' is a 'he' and his name is Toothless. And, he is _not_ a lizard, he's a dragon! Really, really big difference and if you don't want to deal with any severe burns on top of everything else tonight, I suggest you keep that in mind."

Leif swallowed, then silently climbed aboard the Night Fury behind Hiccup.

"You might want to hang on."

Leif snorted. "Oh, you're not telling me the dragon can actually go that—YYYAAAAAAAGH!"

Toothless, spurred by their pressing task and the need to prove himself to this extremely rude human being, launched into the sky like an arrow from a crossbow. Hiccup flattened himself against the dragon's back and the two became one aerodynamic being. It was a movement so automatic, so natural now that it was like breathing.

Leif, on the other hand, screamed and flailed wildly, clawing at Hiccup's back until he finally managed to wrap both of his arms around the dragon rider's neck, forcing him upright in the saddle.

"Ack!" Hiccup choked. "Let—rgh—go!"

"Are you insane?!" Leif yelled. "I'm not letting—"

"I…can't…breathe!" Hiccup reached up to pry the warrior's thick arms from around his neck.

"Oh!" Leif relinquished his grasp, substituting Hiccup's neck for his middle, but the hold was no less firm.

Hiccup clenched his jaws shut over the yell of pain and frustration he desperately wanted to release as his sore muscles were mercilessly squeezed. He considered demanding that Leif let go of him a second time and find something else to hold on to, but that would get them nowhere. The man had never been on a dragon before, let alone the fastest dragon in the known world, so Hiccup had no right to blame him for hanging on for dear life. They had a mission to complete, a life to save, and getting upset over something neither of them could control would only cost Hamish precious minutes.

Toothless decreased the climb and leveled off but maintained his impossible speed, powerful wings slicing the chill air like enormous black blades. The marshy hills, once a grim backdrop for the ruined village, now sped by beneath them as they headed toward the cliffs in the distance. Hiccup had no idea where they were going and Leif was too busy holding on and cursing into his back to be of much use as a guide. It was up to Toothless now.

…

They had been in the sky for a little over twenty minutes when the dragon veered to the right and began a steep drop.

"Got something, bud?" Hiccup asked, trying to ignore the increased pressure around his ribcage as Leif tightened his grip and swore even more.

Toothless replied with a snort, bringing them lower and lower until they skimmed couple dozen feet over ground. The highlands beyond the cliffs were jagged and unforgiving, riddled with cracks and maze-like canyons shrouded in mist. Toothless dipped smoothly into a wide and deep ravine and touched down.

The ground was hard and dry here, unlike that of the village and surrounding hills, but the air still carried the unpleasant smell of stagnant water and rotting plants. They must be close.

Hiccup gave Toothless an appreciative pat on the head. "Nice work, bud."

"This is a cursed place," Leif said, his voice low and quiet as he dropped to the ground behind Hiccup. "No one dares to come here. They say these highlands are haunted by the souls of those who wander in and lose their way."

Hiccup didn't doubt it.

The Night Fury stretched his neck out as far as it would go and his nostrils flared as they caught some scent beneath the bog-stench that no human could ever detect. His head bobbed up and down a few times as he sampled the air. And then he froze.

The silence was so complete it was almost possible to hear the fog slithering in and out of the crags. Neither Leif nor Hiccup dared to speak, move or even breathe fearing that one tiny distraction would break the intense concentration of the dragon. In this dark, unfamiliar and unforgiving land, Toothless's keen senses where their only hope of locating Hamish and finding their way back to the village alive.

Suddenly, Toothless sprang forward, prompting them to scramble after him. He was much more swift on his feet in this uneaven terrain than his human companions and he slowed every once in a while, craning his head around for a peek to make sure they were still with him. The walls of the ravine eventually came together to form a narrow canyon and, by all indications, this was where the dragon was leading them.

Dark, narrow, mist-filled passages are rarely inviting, but this one looked particularly disconcerting. It was barely big enough for Toothless to squeeze through, but squeeze he did and the two men had no choice but to follow. On and on it went, twisting and turning, the rock overhead gradually cutting off what little moonlight was available to see by through the fog. The awful smell grew stronger with every step, making it difficult to breathe.

Finally, the passageway opened, spitting the three of them out into another sizeable gash in the earth. This ravine was smaller than the one they had landed in and the walls arched over them in a sort of grotesque dome with a gaping crack at the top. Moonlight filtered in through the mist, giving the place an eerie, cold feeling that crept into their hearts and seized their very souls.

Toothless, uneasy and on full alert, stalked off to the left to investigate the shadows under the wall, his body low to the ground as he searched and snuffled. That half of the ravine was mostly flat ground, broken here and there by jagged boulders jutting out of the earth like mossy fangs. A murky lake filled the other half, its waters strangely, violently alive with churning black shapes. In the very center of the festering pool was a broad, flat rock covered in a thick layer of mud and debris.

"Show yourself, you fiend!" Leif's challenge echoed between the stone walls, making Hiccup jump in surprise. "Come and meet your bloody fate at the end of my sword!"

"Leif…look." Hiccup elbowed his companion and pointed out across the lake's surface to the rock in the middle. The two crept cautiously to the bone-scattered shore where, upon closer inspection, the heap on the rock took on a more human-like shape, complete with arms and legs trailing into the water. It twitched and gave a low moan.

"Hamish!" Leif exclaimed. "He's still alive! Quick! We'll have to swim across—"

"No!" Hiccup gripped the warrior's arm, yanking him back from the water with every bit of strength he could muster. "No more rushing into things without some kind of plan!"

"Have you gone mad?" Leif bellowed, trying to shove Hiccup away. "THAT'S MY BROTHER, FOR THOR'S SAKE!"

"And for Hamish's sake, don't ruin our chances of saving him by doing something completely stupid!"

Leif's eyes flashed dangerously. "Then what exactly do you suggest?"

"I don't know!" Hiccup snapped, then paused a moment to breathe and collect himself. "Just…just give me a second to think, ok?"

His mind was already furiously at work observing the lake, taking careful note of the surroundings and the way the water moved, estimating the width of the crack in the dome above them. He dropped to one knee, digging a hand into the sludge near the bank and holding it up to his nose. He gagged a bit at the smell, but there was no mistaking it. It was the same horrid stench, that same reek of death and decay that manifested itself whenever one of the monsters came raiding. Hiccup wiped the repulsive slime from his hand on a tuft of dry reeds and stood up. At that moment, Toothless appeared by his side, but immediately jerked backwards in fear and disgust, roaring and howling at the water as he frantically scuttled away with his back arched.

"Toothless, what…"

And then, like ray of sun bursting through grey storm clouds, everything became clear. The churning lake, he realized, was full of huge, glistening black eels. They squirmed and writhed around each other as if agitated by something lurking in the depths below…

"Its in the lake," Hiccup breathed.

"What?"

"The creature," he clarified. "It knew we would follow it here. That's why it didn't kill Hamish outright when it had the chance."

"You mean…"

Hiccup nodded. "Bait. To lure us in where it would have the advantage of familiar territory—into the water where we would be the most vulnerable—where it could have its revenge."

Leif's eyes widened and he cast an anxious glance at his sibling's limp form draped across the rock.

"My…my brother… What do we do?"

Hiccup drew the dagger out of his armband.

"We give it a wakeup call," he said, grimacing as he ran the sharp blade across his palm.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_Two can play this baiting-the-trap game_, Hiccup thought, curling his fingers around the stinging cut. He allowed the blood to pool in his palm for a moment before he bent and picked up a sizeable stone.

"What are you doing?" Leif asked.

"This thing is smart," he replied, "but I'm willing to bet it can't fight off natural instinct for long."

Hiccup smeared the stone with his blood, making sure it was fully covered before lobbing it as far out into the lake as he could. The eels scattered at the disturbance, slithering off to hide while the two men backed away from the water, drawing their swords as it stilled.

Eerie silence descended, but it didn't stop Hiccup's heart from thumping against his ribcage loud enough to wake the dead. He took a sharp breath, trying to steady himself as the telltale growl began inside Toothless's chest.

The hair on the back of the young Viking's neck prickled and he grasped the sword hilt with both hands, as if doing so would ensure his complete safety. Ignoring the bitter sting of the cut in his left palm, he sent an apprehensive look toward Leif. The man's face was set, eyes fierce with the anticipation of battle, and he crouched in a warrior's stance with his mighty sword extended in front of him. The sight made Hiccup feel slightly more hopeful about the outcome of the situation. Leif might not have been the most pleasant person to be around in the best of times, but he was a good, strong man who wouldn't dream of going down without doing some serious, if not fatal, damage to his enemy. Maybe between Toothless's speed and firepower and Leif's skill with a blade they had a chance of defeating the creature. Maybe they could finally end this.

Hiccup's eyes slid back to the water, which was now disturbingly calm and smooth as if it hadn't been touched in a hundred years. There was no sign of life, no hint of movement, not so much as a bubble on the glassy surface.

Doubts began creeping into the darkest corners of his mind. The whole plan had been a gamble from the beginning and he was starting to wonder if it had really been the best idea when, in an explosion of water, mud and wriggling eels, Grabber's mate hurled itself out of the lake like a soaking bolt of lightning. Hiccup and Leif stumbled backwards and Toothless bellowed in fright as eels landed flopping and gasping all around him.

With an ear-splitting screech, the creature announced its arrival before brutally swatting Leif aside into the rock wall and seizing Hiccup's right leg. The vicious talons punctured and tore the flesh of his calf nearly to the bone and the chief screamed in agony, dropping the sword as the monster jerked him to the ground and began dragging him to the water.

"TOOTHLESS!"

Hiccup was injured and in serious, life-threatening trouble. There was no way Toothless would let a few eels stand in his way. With a snarl and a mighty leap, he cleared the wriggling pile and landed mere inches away from his best friend's desperately clawing hands. Just as Hiccup reached for him, the vile creature spat a jet of burning slime right into Toothless's face. The Night Fury howled and dropped to the ground, thrashing and pawing at his eyes as he sent up an involuntary barrage of plasma blasts.

That was the last thing Hiccup saw before water closed over his head.

The icy lake shocked him like an arrow through the heart, stiffening his muscles and rendering his entire body useless for several seconds. The creature was as swift in the water as it was in the air and within those few seconds, had pulled him deeper toward the lake's rotten heart.

Forcing his frozen arms into action, he took out his knife, slashing and gouging at his captor's arm, hitting home more than once. Surprisingly, the claws retracted, the tight grip released and Hiccup kicked madly to the surface, breaking through it long enough to yell out half a name.

"TOOTHL—" he gasped before a clawed hand wrapped around his neck and yanked him down again.

Dropping the knife, he twisted and struggled wildly, trying to pry the fingers away from his throat, but Grabber's mate was determined not to let its prey escape a second time.

It was pitch dark and Hiccup's ears popped from the increase in pressure with every one of the monster's powerful strokes. At last, they came to a stop and Hiccup could only assume they had reached the very bottom, the creature's lair, the place where he was to meet his untimely, grisly end. Head spinning with pain and lack of oxygen, he braced for the slashing and the shredding and the torture he was certain he was about to endure, praying to every god he knew to let him pass out before it got too unbearable…but the onslaught never came. The grasp on his neck remained tight and unrelenting. Hiccup again began to struggle, kicking and flailing, but it was useless. He was going to drown here at the bottom of a lake far away from all he loved.

And that, he realized, was exactly what it wanted.

The monster intended to take sick, twisted pleasure in watching Hiccup's excruciating last moments deprived of precious air and light and then satisfy itself by crushing his bones between its jaws, making him disappear forever.

Hiccup's panicked thoughts skipped and flickered through his head in a chaotic jumble. He wondered if Leif had survived the full-body slam into the solid rock wall and if the slime in Toothless's eyes would blind him for life or eventually kill him. And…Astrid…

_You'd better come back alive_…

The words swirled inside his head in her clear, confident voice.

_Berk needs its chief_…

Berk. He would never see his home or his people again.

_…And so do I._

Total despair overwhelmed him and he ceased his futile fight allowing himself to go limp. He wasn't coming back alive. He wasn't coming back at all. The monster would make sure there was nothing left of him for anyone to find. And once it finished him off, it would go back to the village for more.

_I'm sorry, Astrid, _he cried in his mind, willing her to somehow hear him as life leaked from his limbs. _I'm sorry Toothless. I'm so…so…sorry…_

At that moment, he became dimly aware of a large form hurtling past him like a shark. Seconds later, he heard the monster's water-distorted scream and felt the chokehold loosen until it vanished altogether. He started to sink like a rock, but another hand, a thick, sturdy human one, closed around a wrist and tugged him upward almost as fast as the monster had dragged him down.

As soon as his head cleared the surface, Hiccup coughed up a lungful of water and proceeded to suck in gulp after gulp of air as his rescuer wrapped his arms around his shoulders and swam them both to shore.

"Leif!" Hiccup spluttered as he was hauled up the bank.

"Are you alright?"

"Uh…no," Hiccup responded between more gasping and coughing while indicating his right leg with a quick nod. "No, I'm very much not ok…"

To his surprise, his companion immediately dropped beside him, tearing off a long strip of fabric from his thick tunic.

"…but it doesn't matter right now. Leif, I…I thought you were…"

"Knocked me senseless for a bit," he replied curtly, wrapping the fabric tightly around the bleeding punctures in Hiccup's leg, "but it takes a lot more than being thrown into a wall to do me in." Leif knotted the makeshift bandage before quickly continuing. "I couldn't see well enough down there to kill it, but I gave it something to think about to buy us a minute or two. Can you stand?"

Hiccup gritted his teeth as the Finmarkian warrior grasped his hand and tugged him upright without waiting for an answer. Pain stabbed up through his leg all the way to his already aching head. It was all he could do not to pass out.

"Your sword," Leif said, pressing it into his hands, "and your dragon."

"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed as his friend nudged him from behind and greeted him with an enthusiastic lick. The poor dragon's eyes were puffy and watery and appeared more bloodshot red than their usual bright green, but he was alive. He was still with him.

Hiccup hobbled sideways a bit to brace his trembling body against his friend's. "Ok, new plan," he said, trying to hurry things along while they still had a moment to think. "We'll lure the monster into the air so you can swim across the lake for Hamish."

The other man huffed and shook his head, looking doubtful. "Are you sure?"

After a deep steadying breath, Hiccup pulled himself into the saddle. "You focus on saving your brother. I'll be ok." The words came out sounding more confident than he was feeling.

As if on cue, the center of the lake began to boil and bubble furiously. Toothless backed away with a growl and Hiccup could feel the muscles in the dragon's back and flanks go taut beneath him.

"Time to get lost, Leif. Find a place to lay low and don't go near the water until we're clear of the ravine."

The older man nodded, picking up his sword and dashing off in search of a shadowy hiding place.

Although Hiccup felt slightly more prepared for this round, it was no less terrifying when Grabber's mate threw its hideous self out of the lake a second time. But its attack, Hiccup noted briefly, was much slower, much less potent most likely from the deep, oozing gash in its side. Leif had done some serious harm, which only served as further proof of what a powerful warrior he really was.

Toothless sent a taunting warning shot above its head and spread his wings. Screaming with rage, the monster spat another jet of slime, but dragon and rider were already airborne and on their way out. The crack in the dome was barely big enough for Toothless to fly through, although it was going to be close. Sword still in hand, Hiccup flattened himself against the saddle, hanging on and scrunching his eyes shut as they gained speed. The dragon folded his wings and twirled into a spectacular spin, zooming through the opening with only inches to spare.

The monster's exit was not as graceful or lucky. As Toothless pulled them upright and laid his wings flat to glide, Hiccup witnessed it colliding with the jagged sides of the crack, breaking loose massive pieces of stone which fell into the ravine below. He could only hope Leif had moved out of the way in time. After some confusion, the monster flew through the now widened hole, wings beating the air double time in a frantic effort to catch up with them.

"Go, Toothless, go!" Hiccup urged and the dragon shot away with the monster hot on his tail. When he was sure they were far enough from the lair, Hiccup brought Toothless around in a tight loop to face the menace. "FIRE!"

Startled by the sudden turnaround, the creature reared back and attempted a full stop in midair as Toothless's bolt glanced off its shoulder. Man and dragon then soared over it close enough to touch its head and began a steep, steep climb, drawing it into the sky after them. Fueled by rage, their hunter put on a miraculous burst of speed, closing the distance between them in little more than a few pumps of its wings.

"Oh no! Oh nononono! C'mon buddy, you can beat this thing!"

Toothless wobbled dangerously in the air when the terrible jaws snapped shut inches from his tail and then howled as they came down on it within the next wingbeat. The creature gave a massive tug and began to whip the dragon violently back and forth, jolting Hiccup clean out of the saddle. Caught completely off guard and unable to catch anything to hang on to in time, he plummeted in a dead freefall.

Wind roared past his ears as he let go of the sword and flipped over. His limbs were stiff and sore from the underwater battle, making it all the more difficult to thread his arms through the loops of his flight suit. After several seconds of panicked fumbling, he finally managed to yank it out. The leather flaps stretched between his arms and legs caught a draft, sending him into an upward arc and saving him from a horrific end on the sharp rocks below. The immediate problem now was that he could only glide for so long until he ran out of momentum.

As he sped nearer and nearer to the ground, he caught sight of a wide, deadly-looking chasm opening up before him. He had to come down soon or he would probably drop right into it as he slowed…but how? He was used to having Toothless there to catch him if things went awry, never having had a reason to even think about trying to land by himself. All Hiccup could do was tilt his body away from the ravine and hope for the least harmful landing possible wile praying like no Viking had ever prayed before.

Stars exploded in front of his eyes and he felt something snap in his right arm as he slammed into the dirt and skidded several feet away from where he'd initially landed. He barely had time to wonder how he'd survived the ordeal and send a quick thank-you to Thor before he noticed the long, sharp object whistling down from the heavens straight at him.

With a yell, he threw himself to the side in time to avoid being skewered by his own sword. It landed harmlessly next to him with a hard clatter, but he kept rolling even though he was nearly out of his mind with pain. Hurtling down not far behind it was a tangled mass of dragon and monster. Dimly, he figured that getting crushed under Toothless and the beast would be far worse than enduring a short tumble on a broken arm.

Hiccup stopped belly-down, right arm pinned beneath him, as the two animals hit the ground a mere fifteen feet away in a cloud of dust and acrid smoke. Through watering eyes, he looked up to see Toothless emerge, relatively unharmed except for the nasty bite on his tail.

His opponent was much slower to recover. As it labored clumsily to its feet, Hiccup noticed a large, smoldering hole in each of its wings. Toothless certainly hadn't wasted any time on the trip down. Its flying days were over. All three of them were now grounded.

In a powerful, blinding flash, Toothless fired off a shot, hitting the monster squarely in the chest and sending it toppling toward the chasm's rim. He was about to dive in for the kill when it scrabbled up in a sudden burst of savage strength and lurched forward, throwing the dragon to the ground and sinking its fangs into his neck.

"NOOO!" Hiccup screamed, a fresh surge of livid adrenaline coursing through him. With everything he had left, he struggled to his knees and picked up the sword. There was no chance in Helheim he was going to lie there while his closest friend was slaughtered before his eyes.

The monster started at the sound of his voice and turned to face him. There was a desperate madness in its eyes. This was the face of a cornered beast no longer in control of itself, only driven by the sheer, insane desire to kill. It hissed and crouched, preparing for the final attack, the one that would break this small menace once and for all.

Right arm hanging at his side, Hiccup stood shakily and stumbled into a limping gait. Almost without meaning to, he answered the challenge with a frightening Hooligan war-cry he had only ever heard and never used before. Here he was, rushing a living nightmare with nothing more than a borrowed sword and broken arm. He knew the odds. He knew death was inevitable and waiting right around the corner for him, but it didn't mean he had to go quietly.

Hiccup's valiant charge was quickly thwarted when one massive, balled fist slammed into his stomach sending him flying backwards to sprawl flat on his back. The infuriated beast dropped to all-fours, snarling like some kind of demon cat about to feast upon a cornered mouse.

Winded and wheezing, the exhausted Viking sat up and made a desperate grab for the sword, which had escaped his slippery grasp on the way down, but only managed to brush the hilt with a fingertip before it was batted aside. With a single claw placed strategically on his throat just above his jugular, the creature forced him back to the rocky ground and held him there.

Chest heaving, Hiccup swallowed and turned his head away as the dripping fangs drew nearer until they were only inches from his face. The hot, rancid breath blasting through them made his stomach churn, his head reel.

Then it leered at him in a glistening display of pure bloodlust, as if giving him a last chance to acknowledge its prowess, its utter dominance. The victory, however, was short-lived. A familiar purplish white blast suddenly collided with its face and ripped the creature away from Hiccup. After half a second of startled surprise, a faint twitching at the corners of hiccup's lips was the nearest he could get to a relieved smile.

The vicious bite that would have crushed any lesser animal had failed to fully puncture the thick, scaly layer of skin protecting the dragon's throat. Toothless was still very much in this fight and by the looks of things, he was about to finish it.

The Night Fury leaped over Hiccup, wings spread wide, and landed between his rider and the fiend that meant to pay him the ultimate harm. He gave a fearsome, screaming roar, the one the chief knew he reserved for use in the direst of situations, then sent another bolt into the monster before it could get up. Wide-eyed and gasping for breath, Hiccup propped himself sideways on one elbow, only able to watch at this point. This wasn't the first time Toothless's protective instincts and fierce loyalty had overcome every obstacle to save his skin.

The defeated creature gave a rasping screech and dragged itself backwards toward the brink of the chasm, forced by Toothless's relentless advance. With a final roar and a gigantic burst of plasma that would undoubtedly drain him of all firepower, the dragon sent it flailing over the edge. Several moments later, Hiccup cringed at the distant, sickening thud.

Toothless remained stone-still and alert on the ledge, staring down into the blackness as if daring the monster to be stupid enough to climb back up and face him again. But it was over. It had to be. No living thing could survive a fall like that, especially after taking such a beating.

Eager to get to his dragon, Hiccup began scooting painfully along the uneven ground using one leg and his good arm. At the sound, Toothless turned and hurried to his side. Hiccup reached out and slipped his good arm around his neck, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against the dragon's.

"We…we did it, bud," he panted. Toothless responded with a worried rumble and a lick. "I'm ok. Just a little…just a little beat up, that's all."

Both of them knew they couldn't rest for long. Their mission was not yet complete and its fate now rested on them solely. Even so, it took several minutes for Hiccup to muster the strength needed for the climb into the saddle. When he finally did, it felt like trying to scale a cliff with all his limbs trapped in quicksand.

"Gotta go back," said Hiccup as he drooped forward on Toothless's back, "for Leif and Hamish."

…

Much to Hiccup's relief, flying through the crack in the dome a second time was much easier due to its accidental widening. In his current state, he wasn't sure he could have handled another barrel-roll like the one they had executed earlier. Once clear, Toothless landed as gently as he could, trying not to jostle his rider too much.

Holding his throbbing arm and his breath, the young chief slid to the ground and caught sight of a dark form huddled by the lake. Limping forward a bit, he realized it was Leif kneeling with his brother cradled in his burly arms. Hamish, clothes stained with copious amounts of blood from his mangled shoulder, was deathly pale in the moonlight and his breath came in ragged, uneven gasps.

Hiccup's heart sank. There was nothing more he could do but watch the scene in stunned silence.

With extreme effort, Hamish lifted a shaking hand to touch his older brother's face. "Y-you…you came for me," he mumbled.

A tear traveled down Leif's cheek. "Of course I did, Ham. You're my brother. I would…I would never leave you."

Hamish gave a faint smile as his hand dropped back to his chest, leaving a bloody smear on the older brother's face.

"Th-th-thank you…"

"Hamish?" Leif whispered, but the young man remained silent. "N-no, Hamish…please…" He gripped his sibling's lifeless hand, struggling to control the sorrow visibly welling up inside him.

"Please come back!" he howled suddenly, throwing back his head. The dome seemed to amplify his pain, hurling it carelessly between its walls. "Don't leave me! P-please wake up! There are too many things I need to say to you, too many wrongs I need to—" he choked off in a sob before bowing his head. When he spoke again, his voice was barely audible. "I'm s-so sorry, Ham. Don't go…don't go…"

The pleas dissolved into wails of grief and his broad shoulders shook as he clutched Hamish's broken body tightly to him.

Unable to stand any longer, Hiccup dropped heavily to his knees, tears of anguish and despair streaming down his face. All of their efforts, all of their hopes had been in vain. He watched Hamish's labored breathing slow and his chest fall still. He watched the light fade from his once bright, intelligent eyes. He watched the passing of the final victim of the Terrors of Finmark.

And then the world spiraled into black oblivion.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Astrid's eyes swept along the tops of the cliffs in the distance once more. Despite the faint moonlight and her acute vision, separating solid land from sky was becoming a challenge in the deepening night. There was little hope of distinguishing the shape of a black dragon or anything else against this backdrop, but she continued her tireless surveillance nonetheless.

As usual, she was perched atop Stormfly, axe clenched in white-knuckled fists, every muscle tensed with deadly potential. The others had been sent to guard various points in a wide circle about the Hall: the twins at the back looking toward the sea, Snotlout and Fishlegs at the southeast corner with groups of warriors scattered in between. Only she remained to guard the Finmarkian Hall at its most vulnerable point at the base of the steps leading to the entrance.

She was all too aware that they were down two dragons and without the help of Hiccup, Toothless and Hookfang, there wasn't much hope of bringing down another monster, especially one with wings. And then, with a feeling like ice cascading into her stomach, she realized that if the monster did come back, it would have gotten past Hiccup and Leif, and that would only mean…

Astrid refused to allow that thought to take full form. She knew better than most anyone that Hiccup was smart, resourceful and incredibly brave. He may not have looked the part, but she had seen him prove himself a hero time and time again. Why should _this_ time be any different?

Time dragged on, yet she fought back the worry that was creeping into her throat like bile and remained fully alert, determined not to miss anything. Stormfly, restless beneath her, gave a soft inquisitive crow and tilted her head toward the horizon, rustling her wings and shuffling uneasily.

"What is it, girl?" Astrid whispered, bending forward to touch the Nadder's spike-crested head. Naturally inclined to follow her gaze, she lifted her own eyes skyward and froze as a haunting howl tore apart the silence and a dark mass blotted out the stars.

It was coming in fast straight toward them and would make landfall within seconds. The darkness and the black shape's sporadic flight pattern made it next to impossible to recognize any familiar feature that could tell Astrid whether it was friend or foe. Not one to be caught unprepared, she immediately leapt sideways and slid down one of Stormfly's wings.

The two made quite the formidable pair, but experience had taught them that separating did have its advantages. Each knew exactly what the other had in mind and Astrid crouched, planting her boots into the dirt in a runner's starting stance as Stormfly fanned out her tail-spikes in prelude to the barrage of bony missiles that would divert attention from her rider.

The thing crashed into the earth not more than a hundred feet away and plowed through the damp ground several feet before coming to a stop. Every part of Astrid's body screamed at her to dive in, to attack without mercy while it was down and grind this evil creature back into the hole it crawled out of, but her dragon's concerned squawk kept her still. Stormfly darted to the heap. As she dropped next to it, nuzzling and crooning, it gave a low moan. It was the moan of an dragon in need of immediate help.

"_Toothless_!" she breathed as the axe fell from her sweating hand.

A pair of big, luminous eyes blinked up at her as she rushed forward. The dragon's wings were curled in tightly around his body and blood seeped from several deep bites and gashes, but he greeted her with a feeble rumble anyway.

"Light, Sormfly! Quick!" The Nadder responded by creating a burning half-circle on the ground a safe distance from the group.

In the bright glow of dragon fire, Astrid fell to her knees beside Toothless, eyes wide as she took his head in her hands.

"The beast is dead—" The deep voice broke off with a painful crack.

Astrid's head snapped up just as Leif got to his knees from behind the dragon, shaking terribly, face red and blotchy and streaked with bitter tears. The once proud and fearless eyes were now shrouded in the shadow of death and despair. Astrid watched numbly as he lifted a smaller, blood soaked form and stood without uttering another word before stumbling in the direction of the Hall.

Hamish was gone.

Astrid's breath stuck in her tightening throat like a dagger. The fearsome creatures would no longer torment the people of Finmark, but they had failed nonetheless. So many had needlessly died. So many. And as if Fate itself were mocking them, Chief Holgarth's own son, the only one of his people brave enough, smart enough, compassionate enough to voyage into the unknown for help, had been taken from them as well. She was not from this land nor of this people, yet the pain surging through her was nearly unbearable. The feeling only multiplied as the realization of why Toothless had been acting so erratically, why his landing had been such a disaster, hit full force. Hiccup hadn't been the one flying him. Hiccup wasn't even there.

She had seen him miraculously cheat death on more than one occasion. She had seen him teeter on the very brink of the chasm and somehow fling himself back at the last second. Had he finally succumbed to the song of Death and followed it where she could never hope to reach him?

"N-no…no." Hot, stinging tears welled up and overflowed to pelt the dust into mud. "No! Please, Odin, NO!" she screamed and flung herself forward, pounding her fists into the ground and then curling over to rest her forehead on them as she wept.

Toothless's burbling rumble was quiet, just audible enough to reach between Astrid's heavy sobs and catch her attention. Sniffling and wiping her streaming eyes and nose on a sleeve, she looked up as the dragon slowly, carefully unfurled his wings…and gave a sharp gasp.

Enveloped in Toothless's protective limbs was a soaking wet, horribly battered and unconscious Hiccup.

…

Astrid snapped into action immediately, sending Stormfly for help while she planned out her next move. She usually had no problem jokingly yanking or pulling Hiccup around wherever she wanted, but that was while he was awake and playing along. It was going to take a bit more muscle than hers alone to carry his deadweight to the Hall.

Wrapping her arms around the chief's chest, she dragged him a few feet away from Toothless, not daring to move him any further without assistance. Propping him up against her, she quickly examined him from head to toe, taking in every scratch and bruise, the blood soaked bandage around his calf, the cut in one palm and his swollen arm.

Horrified, she glanced at the hurt dragon, still lying in the same position he had landed in, seeming to be too exhausted to budge.

"Toothless…_what_ _happened_?"

He answered with a blink of his eyes and a mournful croon before resting his wide head on the ground.

"Astrid!" came Fishlegs's worried shout. "Astrid, what's wro—"

The bulky dragon rider stopped short, mouth dropping open at the unexpected sight. Behind him, Snotlout and a few of the warriors did the same as Stormfly and Meatlug congregated by Toothless.

"Fishlegs," Astrid barked, taking command of the situation, "stay here with Toothless and send somebody to get the twins. Snotlout, help me with Hiccup. Quick!"

Fishlegs knelt by the Night Fury, trying to sound reassuring as he told him not to worry and patted his head. Without question (which was rare), Snotlout rushed to aid Astrid, taking her place at Hiccup's head while she took his legs.

"Stormfly!" The dragon came running at her call and with the help of a few warriors, they raised their fallen friend and placed him on her back. Astrid climbed on behind him, once again holding him upright with an arm around his middle to keep him steady.

With an urgent squawk, the Nadder took off up the steps with Snotlout and the warriors close behind. There was a commotion as they all burst through the entrance at once, but everyone kept their distance, sensing that something was wrong and they shouldn't interfere.

From atop Stormfly, Astrid handed Hiccup off to the waiting hands of her companions, then jumped down as well. The group moved quickly to the designated Berkian corner, laying him out on a hastily gathered bed of blankets and furs.

Without waiting to be asked, one of the warriors said something about a healer and darted away to find him. In the meantime, the others dropped beside the unconscious chief, none of them exactly sure what to do now.

"What happened to him?" Snotlout questioned. This was the first time he'd been able to get a good look at Hiccup's state and he seemed a bit on edge if not horrified. "Where are Leif and Hamish? Does anybody know what's going on around here?"

Astrid merely shook her head, now unable to speak because of the anxious pressure building up in her chest. A few endless minutes later, the healer, a wispy old man permanently bent by decades of tending to the sick and injured of his tribe, joined them. His face was grim.

The group around Hiccup dispersed automatically, allowing the man space to thoroughly survey his newest patient while quietly mumbling to himself below the hum of curious and worried onlookers. The only distinguishable words they could catch were "broken" and "bandages", but two of the Finmarkian warriors seemed to know exactly what he meant and ran to fetch the needed items. They returned shortly, carrying a basin of hot water, a large bundle of clean white bandages, two straight sticks of wood, a mortar and pestle and a clump of strange-smelling herbs.

The healer thanked them and turned to the two dragon riders. In an ancient voice barely above a whisper, he said, "I need you to remove his armor, if you can."

Snotlout and Astrid shared a quick, somewhat awkward glance. Neither of them really understood how Hiccup's armor worked, which would make the process slower and more difficult. Snotlout seemed especially uncomfortable as he had never had to do anything like this before in his life. Nevertheless, he proceeded to help Astrid unbuckle and carefully pull off the breastplate, leather tunic, dragon scale shirt and so on.

When the task was completed sometime later, the healer nodded his thanks and knelt beside Hiccup. Snotlout and Astrid continued to look on in odd fascination, wondering how someone so old could sit like that.

To their further surprise, he began to sing what must have been an old Finmarkian tune in a language no one, not even the warriors, could understand. As he did, he worked swiftly, cleaning the deep slice in Hiccup's hand before cutting away part of his leggings to access the wounds on his leg. He crushed the herbs in the water to make a thick, greenish paste which he applied generously to the wounds and then covered with plenty of bandages.

Astrid and Snotlout were altogether baffled by such actions from a healer. Gothi, the tribal elder and designated healer of Berk, was a feisty little wrinkly woman that only communicated in runes. She was known for the painful whack to the head she freely delivered to anyone unfortunate enough to annoy her within reach of her staff. Apparently each were highly skilled in the field, but the words and practices of the old man were something entirely foreign to them.

The healer moved on to Hiccup's arm, pulling up the sleeve to observe the swelling. Astrid was no stranger to injuries on the battlefield. They were, of course, an occupational hazard that came with being a Viking, but she could barely stand to watch as the old man set the bone, splinted it between the two sticks and wrapped everything up. Snotlout, tough as he made himself out to be, had to look away as well, his face tinged a sickly green. Eventually, it was too much and he excused himself from the area before throwing up.

The old man tended to a few more less serious injuries before the song he was singing faded from his lips. He placed a hand on the young chief's forehead, seeming to slip out of reality for a moment to contemplate something deeply.

Hiccup twitched, eyes snapping wide open and shifting all around the room in startled confusion as he sucked in a sudden gasp of air through his mouth. His left hand clenched a fistful of the blanket beneath him and he swallowed, face contorting with the realization of consciousness and pain.

The healer came back to himself and turned to an astounded Astrid, a kind smile on his weathered face.

"He will be alright now, I think."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

He had no desire to leave this quiet, floating nothingness. It was all around him, filling him up and numbing his thoughts and senses. He knew that pain of every kind and a harsh reality lurked beyond this cocoon and would ambush him the second he emerged. Vaguely, he understood that doing so would mean finding himself sprawled and bleeding on the cold, damp ground, unable to do anything but listen to sorrowful howling while his life trickled away. No, he wanted more than anything to stay here in the dark, protected by the thick buffer of black between him and the ugly truths he did not want to face before the end…

But then…warmth?

It was only a flicker, but he was sure he'd never experienced anything quite like it before, at least not for a very long time. The tiny spark grew and gently filtered into his mental hideaway, taking the place of the dark and the dampness and drawing him up into another world. A bright world of color and comfort and the feeling of having overcome some long and horrifying ordeal. He let the feeling soak into him from head to toe, finally accepting that this was a much better alternative to remaining in darkness.

Then came dizzy consciousness and with it, the all-encompassing ache of an injured and overexerted body.

Hiccup opened his eyes just wide enough for a blurry view of a ceiling crisscrossed with wooden beams and stark contrasts of light and shadow. He was near a metal cauldron glowing with red fire and—as far he could gather through the thin but stubborn cloudiness still gripping his mind—was lying on a cot and covered with a woolen blanket.

As the fog cleared, he began trying to put together his scattered memories, blinking at the ceiling as if it could provide the answers he needed. In a swift, flashing burst, he saw the first monster and its demise at the end of his sword, the joyful but premature celebration in the Hall and then the shocking appearance of the mate. A haunting scream of agony and fear then ripped through his mind, wreaking havoc among the raw, newly formed recollections and causing his eyes to squeeze themselves shut again. He remembered the flight to the wastelands on the cliffs above the village, the dwindling hope for the permanent safety of the people of Finmark…

And the crushing result of the ensuing struggle for a single life.

He wasn't ready to confront all of this, but it was impossible to dodge.

With a small, strangled noise in his throat, Hiccup looked toward the fire, overwhelmed by the desire to sink back into unconsciousness and later wake up on Berk with no memory of Finmark. It was so powerful that it threatened to swallow him whole, but before it could, something warm and slimy slapped against his cheek. A jet of hot, fishy breath hit him next, followed by a concerned rumble.

If it weren't for the unexpected arrival of this familiar newcomer, he might not have dared to face the waking world again so soon. Upside down and hovering inches above his face, Toothless's wide, green orb-like eyes swam into view, staring into his own. They were bright with relief but a hint of restless anxiousness remained about them. The dragon smacked his lips, repeating the rumble and tilted his head, waiting for Hiccup to make the next move.

"Hey, bud," he whispered, pulling off a faint smile and reaching out with a bandaged left hand to touch his friend's snout.

In response Toothless generously bestowed him with another enthusiastic lick to the face. Satisfied that Hiccup was alive and suitably awake, he moved to the other side of the cauldron, dropped to his belly and curled his long body around the source of delightful heat. His saddle and artificial tailfin were absent and his movements were more sluggish than usual, but the deep bites on his neck and tail, smothered in a greenish salve, looked much less severe than the last time he'd seen them. There was no way to know who had treated Toothless or how, but Hiccup felt assured that the dragon was going to be fine.

It was hard to say the same for himself, but as the subject of treatments ran through his head, it fully dawned on him that he was not going to bleed to death in an abysmal, foul-smelling monster's den after all. It was likely the most wonderful thought that had crossed his mind in several days. Against steep odds, he had survived. He was here with his dragon in a warm, safe place. He could finally rest, even though he felt like he'd been struck by ten of Thor's biggest lightning bolts at the same time. He didn't have to fight anymore. He didn't have to kill. All he had to do was stay here by this fire and breathe.

His armor had been removed, leaving behind the green tunic he wore underneath. Patches of skin all over his body stung terribly, but he recognized it as the telltale sting of freshly and thoroughly cleaned wounds. The deeper discomfort in his right arm was accompanied by a curious heaviness. With a grimace, he lifted his head a bit to investigate and discovered a thick bundle of bandages with fingers poking out of the end where the limb should be.

_At least it's still attached_, he mused gratefully before noticing that he wasn't the only one using the cot.

A blond head rested on a pair of crossed arms close by his side. She seemed to have fallen asleep in this position, kneeling on the floor with her upper half supported by the cot. It was a despairing pose suggesting a long, worry-filled vigil which had come to an abrupt end due to utter exhaustion. He watched her shoulders rise and fall in time with her breathing, noted the unusually frazzled state of the braid trailing down her back and the tiny stone figurine of a goddess clutched loosely in a hand. She wasn't one to put much stock in the supernatural, preferring to figure things out for herself rather than leave it up to the gods, but this was obviously different. The gravity of Hiccup's state must have brought out in her some desperate urge to grasp at any remaining thread of hope, including a rare but earnest appeal to Eir, the Goddess of Healing.

"Astrid?" he rasped. He almost hated to wake her but it would be better than letting her wander through the forest of darkness and uncertainty he knew must have taken over her wearied mind.

"Astrid?" he tried again, this time laying the palm of his hand gently on her head.

She jerked awake at his touch, throwing herself upright with a sharp cry. Wide-eyed and openmouthed, she blinked in bewilderment at him for a moment before Toothless's encouraging grunt brought her back to the present. An ecstatic grin spread across her face as the little figure of Eir clattered to the floor.

"Hiccup!" she nearly screamed. "Hiccup, you're…"

The rest of her words were lost in a burst laughter and tears. She leaned forward, settling her head against his as she flung an arm over his chest. Hiccup slid his own arm around her, closing his eyes and holding her tight while she wept with pure relief.

Minutes later she pulled away, sniffling and wiping her wet cheeks with a hand.

"Why do you have to _do_ that?" she scolded. "I honestly thought you were dead this time!"

"Astrid, you know I never mean for this stuff to happen…" He flinched as she brandished a fist. He'd gotten used to the playful (and not always gentle) whacks on the shoulder that came as a result of her being frustrated or upset with him, but it was definitely not the day for that.

"Nononono, don't! Please don't!"

She made a show of feigned indecisiveness, then lowered her arm with a huff.

"Fine, but only because you barely survived the pummeling of your life."

"Oh, thank all the gods in Asgard," Hiccup sighed. "Every single one of them."

"Don't think you're getting off so easy, though. As soon as you're back to normal…" She slammed her fist into the palm of the other hand, smiling mischievously. "You're gonna get it for scaring me…_again_."

"Fair enough." Hiccup returned her smile, secretly hoping that the time needed to heal a broken arm might just be enough for her to forget about it.

The smile quickly faded as his thoughts circled around to other more pressing matters. Before Astrid could act and the pain of rapid movement could register, Hiccup sat up, swung his legs over the side of the cot and attempted to stand up.

Astrid jumped to her feet half a second behind him. "No,no , don't—"

"I need to find Lei…eeeeyaaahnope…" he slurred as daggers of pain shot through his right leg, making his head spin and his knees buckle. Astrid's arms enveloped him as he wobbled and slumped forward.

"Nopenopenope," he repeated woozily through gritted teeth as she helped him back to the cot. "Bad idea. Aaagh, really…really stupidly bad idea. Astrid, don't ever let me do that again."

She heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. "That'll be the day."

Hiccup quickly changed the subject while he caught his breath. "So how long've I —"

"All day," she answered as if already anticipating every question he was about to ask. "It's almost evening."

"Ok, then…how did I get here? The last thing I remember is—"

"Leif. He flew Toothless."

Hiccup was about to reply, then held up a finger. "Y'know what, hold that thought. Could we maybe not do the whole 'how many times can I interrupt and confuse Hiccup more than he currently is' thing? Already have a headache, thanks."

Astrid's face reddened slightly as she gave an abrupt laugh. "Oh, yeah, sorry."

He flashed a thumbs-up. "Perfect. Now where am I?"

"This is the library. Hamish's…library…" She bit her lip before quickly continuing. "Holgarth thought you might be more comfortable here than in the Hall with everybody gawking at you. It's the only other building in the village left standing."

Hiccup was suddenly forced to grapple with a new wall of emotions. The library, he felt, almost seemed to comprehend that he was intruding, that he was taking the place of its usual, familiar inhabitant. The inhabitant that it now understood would never return.

It just wasn't fair.

"Y-you said Leif brought me back to the village?" he pushed on, trying to smooth over the waver in his voice. "He flew Toothless?"

Toothless snorted and perked up happily at this newest mention of his name, scuttling closer to them in hopes of listening in on more tidbits about his heroic deeds.

Astrid gave the dragon a scratch and half a smile. "Yeah, he did, but not very well. Like, at all. I watched you come in and make a horribly botched landing. It was one of the worst I've seen in a while, but Toothless had you all wrapped up in his arms like he always does when you've failed at trying to get yourself killed…_again_."

Hiccup rolled his eyes a little, but remained silent, not feeling up to an argument that might increase his chances of getting hit in the arm a second time down the road.

"I called the other riders," she continued, "and we took you to the Hall. Then, this strange, old healer guy came in and sang a song while he patched you up. It was seriously weird…unlike anything I've ever seen…" she trailed off, lost in her own thoughts.

"What d'you mean?" Hiccup pressed, eager for more details. "He was singing?"

Astrid's eyes refocused. "Yeah. Nobody could understand what about, though. Maybe it was a traditional chant or part of a healing ritual, I don't know, but after that, you woke up."

"I woke…um, how, exactly?

"The healer touched your forehead and your eyes just kind of…popped open. It was like he'd brought you back from the dead."

Now things were starting to get creepy. "Wouldn't I have remembered—"

"Your eyes were open, but I'm not sure you were entirely...'there', if you get my drift."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes in a skeptical glance.

Astrid shrugged. "If you don't believe me,you can always ask Snotlout. He was the one that helped me take you to the Hall and pull off your armor. He witnessed the whole thing. Well...except for the part where the healer splinted your arm. He had to run off to throw up, but came back a few minutes later."

"Wait, waaaaait, back it up a second. Snotlout did what?"

"He threw up-"

"No, no, not that. I mean..."

"Oh, he helped me get your armor off. And trust me," she snickered, "he was just as squeamish about it as you are right now."

"Well that's...all sorts of embarrassing." Hiccup cringed at thought of Snotlout awkwardly messing with his handmade armor and flight suit equipment, of Snotlout seeing him at his worst, prone and limp and half-dead, then he dug his knuckles into his forehead with a groan.

"Out of all the people in this entire village," he muttered, "it had to be Snotlout."

Astrid snorted. "Hey, could've been the twins."

"Urgh!" Hiccup nearly hurled. The last thing he _ever_ wanted while out cold was for those two to have an excuse to poke at him until they found the nerves that would make him twitch, or to examine the dirt under his fingernails or something. "Just…just tell me what happened next."

"Well, there's not much left to tell, really. You looked around for a second, and then the healer waved his hand over your eyes and you instantly went back to sleep. That was right before we moved you here. It was..." she shook her head. "It was incredible. I don't know how else to describe it."

For a while after she finished, Hiccup was too busy attempting to wrap his sore head around this unbelievable tale to respond.

"Hiccup, what…" Astrid murmured hesitantly, nudging into his thoughts, "what happened out there? What did this to you?" She paused, eyes on the floor. "Please, I need to know."

He swallowed, wondering if he could make himself relive his harrowing experience without completely breaking down. There was nothing for it, he decided, but to jump in and get it over with. Maybe if he did it now, he would never have to do it again.

With a steadying breath, he opened his mouth and plowed through the story from the time they'd left the steps of the Hall to the moment he and Toothless touched down after their battle with the monster. Then he ground to a halt, his voice choked off and he simply couldn't get any farther.

Astrid slipped a hand into his, expression shifting between horror and sympathy.

"I…I'm…so sorry," she whispered, kneeling back on her feet. "I wish I could've been there with you."

Guilt pierced his heart as Hiccup turned his focus to the crackling flames in the cauldron. He should have let her come. If he had, things might have turned out vastly different and Hamish might still be alive. He was responsible for the death of their newfound friend, the death of one of Holgarth's sons. How could the old chief ever forgive him? How could he face the citizens of Finmark, who had suffered so much sorrow and loss, and tell them he had been too late to save the young man? There was no one else to point fingers at, nothing else to blame but his own poor planning.

"Hiccup," Astrid spoke softly, "look at me."

He remained still, numb to her request.

She placed a couple fingers on his cheek and tilted his head until he had no choice but to be caught up in that confident blue gaze. In that simple action, she wordlessly affirmed her intent to stand by him as he battled through guilt and pain, to never leave his side while he endured the nameless nightmares sure to come. She had been there when the shock of his father's unexpected passing had finally hit home like a knife in the back, when he was on the brink of shutting himself out of a world seemingly full of nothing but unfamiliar and heavy responsibilities underlined with misery. She was his stubbornly faithful and fiercely loving lifeline and she had snatched him from the maelstrom more than once.

"I know what you're thinking." Her tone was now firm, her face set. "It _wasn't _your fault, Hiccup. It wasn't anybody's fault. Don't you dare think that for a second."

He tightened his grip on her hand. "H-help me…"

"I'm staying right here. I promise."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Hiccup and Astrid continued to talk, gradually steering the conversation into less troubled waters, dwelling on lighter topics and good memories. The squares of dull grey sky showing through the library's two small windows darkened as evening advanced. During a lull, Astrid stood to stir the dying embers in the cauldron and take a small parcel from a nearby table.

Hiccup soon found himself sitting upright with her beside him, sharing the cot and a chunk of bread in the soft orange glow. Her head tilted and came to rest on his uninjured shoulder. All was quiet now, except for the rhythmic, growling snores coming from a comfortably dozing Toothless.

Hiccup closed his eyes, breathing deeply and wishing he could stay wrapped in this peaceful, private moment forever—

The library's heavy door was kicked wide open, swinging all the way around on its hinges and crashing into the wall. The two jumped apart and Hiccup quickly clamped his teeth shut over a yelp, eyes watering. Behind them, Toothless awoke with a startled snort and jumped to his feet, nostrils flaring, teeth bared and back arched like a giant cat.

"Hey, sorry," Snotlout's voice punched through the calm, "Holgarth thought you might need more firewood." He dropped the bundle of sticks he was carrying on the floor and gave a quick nod. "Hey, Hiccup."

"Nnrgh!" was Hiccup's pain-strangled reply as he bent over double and grabbed a fistful of his own hair. "_Why_ would you _do_ that?!"

"Do what?"

Astrid scowled. "Would it kill you to knock, Snotlout?"

"Hey, how was I supposed to know you guys were busy turning this place into the Love Hut or whatever?"

"'Love Hut'?" she said flatly. "Really?"

"Ooh, that looks nice!" he said indicating the cauldron and letting himself in. "Mind if I join you for a couple?"

"Yes," replied both Astrid and Hiccup as Toothless added his own grunt of disapproval.

The dragon was slowly sinking back to earth, ears laid back as he glared at the intruder through dangerously slitted eyes. If he hadn't been lucky enough to be someone Toothless was well-acquainted with, Snotlout might not have made it into the room at all.

Snotlout sauntered over, leaving the door wide open to the chilly air of oncoming evening.

"Ahhhh, yeah, that's nice," he sighed, extending both arms out over the cauldron with a contented smile. "Pretty damp around here, huh? I don't think my clothes've dried out since we landed. Sooo…how ya been?"

"Did you seriously just ask me that?" Hiccup mumbled, truly baffled.

"Uh, eeyah," he replied, examining a fingernail with a deliberate air of suave self-importance. "Just wondered, because I basically saved your life last night."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Astrid segued smoothly, moving toward him with a roguish smile on her face. "I forgot to ask, how's the stomach?

Snotlout blanched a bit, then launched into a blabbering torrent. "W-what? Oh, you mean _my_ stomach. What _about_ my stomach? Pfft, nothing's wrong with my stomach. Ha, why would there ever be anything wrong with my stomach, I'm in top condition. Why are we even talking about stomachs, that's like the most random thing—"

Hiccup couldn't help but seize the opportunity to play along. It was, after all, occasionally satisfying to watch Snotlout squirm under pressure.

"Save it, Snotlout, I already know what happened."

"Wait, you do? But how did you—you were out cold! You told him, Astrid, didn't you!"

It was Astrid's turn to be smug. "Yyyup."

It never ceased to amaze and sometimes terrify Hiccup how much Astrid could influence a person without the help of her axe or fists. He watched in fascination as Snotlout stewed in his thoughts for a moment with his jaw working and eyes shifting between the waiting faces of his two companions.

"It was an overly emotional and repulsive experience for me, ok?!" he burst out.

"I can imagine it would be, given how much you ate at the feast," retorted a very amused Astrid.

Snotlout wrinkled his nose. "Ew, no! What is wrong with you? I'm not talking about me throwing up! No more with the throwing up!"

She held up her hands. "Fine by me. But I have to wonder what was so repulsive that you, a mighty Viking warrior, would—"

"Look, I've seen some freaky, messed up stuff in my life," Snotlout spilled as if giving a full confession, "but when we dragged Hiccup in last night… I mean with him being the Chief and all and how he was like pale and floppy and pretty much dead and totally covered in slime and sludge and blood—uuugh!" He paused to shudder. "Oh, and the smell. Yeah, I'm pretty sure the smell's what topped it for me. But only the smell, none of the other stuff. The other stuff was only moderately creepy."

"I'm sitting right here, you know!" Hiccup blurted.

"And don't even get me started on your armor," Snotlout rattled on. "Way too many buckles and straps and separate parts. Psh! What's it all for, anyway? I mean, yeahyeah, sure it's awesome and I secretly wish I had some just like it, but what the Frigg, man?! It took me—" he narrowly avoided a sharp jab in the ribs from Astrid, "uh, I mean it took _us_ forever to get it off. Young man, did you ever think about how that might be a huge problem if something just like this little situation happened? I think nooot."

Hiccup lifted both eyebrows, taken aback and a little touched. "Wow, Snotlout, I had no idea you—"

"And the arm, Astrid!" he said, now laying the drama on especially thick. "The _arm_! Arms aren't supposed to bend like that! It totally looked like there was a second elbow in the middle and that is _sooo_ not ok!"

"We can move on from the arm, now, if that's cool with everybody," Hiccup quickly interjected, feeling slightly queasy himself after his fellow rider's rather disturbing description of his injury. "Listen, thanks for the firewood, Snotlout, we really do appreciate it, but don't you think you should maybe go check on Hookfang now?"

"Ohohooo, I see how it is." Snotlout leaned in, index finger aimed directly between Hiccup's eyes. "You can throw me out, Haddock, but remember, if I hadn't been around…" he caught Astrid's warning glare, "Uh, if _we_...but most _especially_ I hadn't been around, you'd still be stuck in that stupid armor and extra dead. Boom."

Hiccup buried his face in his palm with a groan. "Are we seriously having this conversation, or am I still out if? Please, Thor, tell me I'm still out of it. And if I'm not, hit me right now with everything you've got and make it go away."

"You both know it's tru-uuuue," sang Snotlout before pulling an obnoxious smirk, spinning around and making for the doorway where he paused to flex. "As always, if you need me, I'll be, ah…_working out_. Or something like that—OOF!"

"Whoa, sorry," said Tuffnut as he bowled Snotlout over on his way in, "didn't mean to ruin your moment, but did I hear somebody say the word 'boom'? And also something about throwing up and a cool story about an arm with an extra elbow?"

"Aaaand again with the arm," Hiccup said through his fingers. "Ok, how long've you been listening, Tuff?"

Tuffnut shrugged as a red-faced Snotlout got to his feet behind him and crossed his arms, scowling.

"I dunno. Since the part about you being pretty much dead, I guess."

"That long? Ugh, that's not creepy at all," Astrid commented, nose wrinkled in disgust.

Tuffnut waved her off as if it were nothing out of the ordinary—which, for him, it really wasn't.

"Nah, I just got really interested in a perfect cluster of mushrooms I was fortunate enough to stumble upon while walking around this building for the tenth time. Well, I guess I didn't really stumble on them, but I almost _stepped _on them, which would've been sad, but I caught myself just in time, which was good. Really glad I did, to, because they're gonna look great in the dried-mushroom mosaic of the Island of Berk Ruff and I are creating on one of our walls back home. Seriously, though, nobody appreciates great art anymore. So anyway, when Snotlout went in and left the door open, it made it a lot easier to hear everything and I got curious. Especially about the story with the arm in it."

There was an exceptionally long and awkward pause where everyone else in the room gawked at him with their mouths dangling open to various degrees.

"What?" said Tuffnut.

At that moment, Ruffnut bounced over the threshold and skidded to a stop beside Tuffnut. The two shared an enthusiastic fist bump, moving on to their signature helmet head-but after.

"W-wha…where do you all keep _appearing_ from?" Hiccup blurted as the two snickered and straightened their dented headgear. "I-I mean, don't get me wrong, I was looking forward to catching up with everybody because there _were _a couple times when I thought I'd never see any of you again, but this is—"

"Hey, Tuff!" Ruffnut exclaimed, seeing Hiccup for the first time and slugging her brother in the stomach. "Hiccup's awake. Hi, Hicccup!"

"Which reminds me…" Tuffnut cut in before he could respond and shoved in front of his twin. "It's your lucky day, Chief, because—"

Ruffnut nudged him out of the way. "—we brought you dinner!"

"Surprise!" the two shouted together, holding out their precious morsel with pride.

Snotlout immediately exploded into laughter. Astrid, however, was less than impressed.

"It's a tomato."

"Very astute observation, my young lass," Tuffnut said with a flourish. "It is, indeed, a tomato…"

"…which is also known as 'food'," Ruff finished. "And food is, as everyone knows, what dinner consists of. Unless you eat rocks. Or tree bark."

The two beamed as Hiccup forced a smile and accepted their offering.

"Greeeeeat," he fumbled, trying to find the right words. They were only trying to help, after all. "Really…really thoughtful of you, but I think I might have to pass on this one, thanks."

Tuffnut jumped up and down in place, flapping a raised hand over his head.

"Ooh! Ooh! Is it ok if I eat it, then?"

Hiccup blinked, then handed it over. "Yeah…yeah, sure. Knock yourself out."

"YESSS—HEY!"

"No fair!" Ruffnut had snatched the tomato out of Tuffnut's hands. "How come you're always the one who gets to—"

"Gimme that!" Tuffnut regained possession and the short argument soon turned into a tug-of-war.

"Ok, is it my birthday or something?" Snotlout snorted. "Because they're literally fighting over who gets to eat a stupid tomato. I am _so_ happy right now."

The tug-of-war was well on its way to dissolving into a tussle on the floor when the tomato popped out of their grasp. Its brief freedom ended with a splat on the floor where it was slurped up and swallowed by Toothless.

Hiccup struggled to conceal a laugh without much success.

"Nice move, bud."

The dragon grinned licking his lips and wiggling his entire lower half like a satisfied puppy.

The twins stared at him for a moment in sad disbelief.

"That was my favorite tomato," Tuffnut said at last.

"And I've officially hit my weird limit for the day," Astrid huffed. "That's it, visiting hours are over. Everybody out." She advanced on the newcomers, gathering them up and shooing them toward the door with outstretched arms…

The group stopped short. Fishlegs had appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, guys," he said.

"You too?" Hiccup sighed. "Did you bring anybody else along, like, I don't know, maybe the rest of the village?"

"Oh, Hiccup! You're awake!"

"So I've gathered," he mumbled.

Fishlegs fidgeted for a moment, nervously playing with the closure on one of his many belt pouches. It was painfully obvious that he was the bearer of not-so-friendly news.

"What's wrong, Fishlegs," Astrid asked, forgetting her endeavor to herd the others outside. "I know that look."

"I…I just…came to let you know that it's almost s-sundown."

A black curtain of silence dropped upon them. Smiles and annoyed expressions alike faded into grim seriousness as faces were cast downward. Even the eyes of the twins, usually bright with mischief and impish delight, were dampened with somber shadow.

Hiccup had been asleep for hours, but he knew exactly what Fishlegs's message was implying. Sundown on the eve of loss was a time of mourning, a time of burning. It was a time for the ashes of the dead to be scattered to the winds while the spirit completed one last journey.

_It was time._

Sensing an abrupt change in the mood and the shuffling vibe of a group of humans about to relocate, Toothless moved in close to the young chief, offering himself as a living crutch. Hiccup breathed in through his nose in preparation for what he knew was coming. Slipping his good arm around Toothless's thick neck, he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and hauled himself up. There they were, the daggers shooting up his leg, the throbbing waves of shock in the broken arm as it bumped against him in its sling. The dragon gave an encouraging croon and the two limped forward a couple steps.

"Hiccup, no..." started Astrid.

They stopped.

She was right. He had just endured one of the most terrifying and excruciating experiences of his life. He was exhausted, he was in awful pain, his emotions were stretched to the breaking point. He had every excuse to retreat two steps backwards, to lie down…to submit himself to one last victory for the Terrors of Finmark.

He couldn't.

Not with the fresh sting of Hamish's death, of his tribe's unspeakable human loss boring through his heart. Not under the scrutiny of his closest companions, who looked to him as an example. Not while his father and his forbearers looked down from the Next World, waiting for him to make the right decision, to act as only a Chieftain of Berk would.

"I…I have to," he said finally, lifting his head to look one-by-one directly into the eyes of each of the faithful riders standing before him. "_We_ have to, together. For Finmark. For Hamish, our friend…" he paused to fight down the lump growing in his throat and threatening to choke him before he could finish his last statement.

"For Berk. Because I am your Chief."


	16. Chapter 16

(Note: I'm not really an artist, but I've been working on some illustrations for this story. If you want to take a look, please PM me and I'll link you to my deviantART.)

Chapter 16

Hiccup caught the scent of troubled seas as soon as he limped out of the nest-like safety of the library. Clouds veiled the island of Finmark, growing more menacing as the sun slipped away and the sky darkened behind them. A distant flash and rumble warned of a storm brewing out to sea. It would make landfall in a matter of hours, driving everyone inside the Hall for the night while the rain and the wind swept through the ruins of the village and washed them away to begin anew.

The small, weather-beaten library, he discovered, was tucked precariously into a high cliff-face nook overlooking the ocean. There was barely space enough for two people to walk comfortably around the building and a mere ten feet in front of him, the outcropping ended. The extent of the drop-off it concealed and what lay at the bottom was left to the imagination. Hiccup reeled suddenly, as if someone was yanking him toward the edge, and slumped against Toothless. He was well-accustomed to heights and steep drops at high speed and even enjoyed them on most occasions…but not today. Not when he felt like he'd been plowed over by a heard of exceptionally beefy Gronckles.

Several pairs of hands reached to steady him, but he declined.

"I'm ok," he mumbled.

"You're such a liar," Snotlout retorted under his breath as he—with the help of a couple others—pushed Hiccup up onto the Night Fury's back.

"He's a lot heavier than he looks," Ruffnut whispered to her brother.

"I heard that," said Hiccup. Woozy as he was, he couldn't help but smile slightly at that remark. It was good to be with his companions again even though what he faced next would drag over him yet another layer of unhappiness. This time, however, he was not alone.

Toothless pivoted, causing Hiccup to throw out his free hand and brace himself in an attempt to stop the whole world from spinning. It was strange riding bareback, he thought once could see fairly straight. The flying gear had become such a normal part of everyday life that he couldn't remember the last time he'd been on Toothless without it. In a way, though, it was reassuring to be in such direct contact with the dragon, to know for certain that his best friend was there to serve as a living buffer between him and this difficult undertaking. It brought to the injured chief the deepest, most sincere kind of comfort. He closed his eyes and bent forward, soaking up the warm security, willing it to push out the pain and bleak memories connected to the last time he had sought such emotional safety.

At the abrupt uphill tilt and solid boot falls of his comrades, Hiccup assumed they were climbing some roughly-hewn stairway cut into the side of the cliff. Not exactly wanting to confirm this suspicion, he kept his eyes tightly shut and hugged the broken arm closer to his shivering body with one hand still planted firmly on the back of Toothless's neck.

It wasn't until the ground softened and leveled into a gentle hill that Hiccup dared open his eyes. They were atop a high knoll, the Hall to their immediate right, the cliff and the sea at their backs, and the mild incline before them dipping gradually into a narrow valley. At the bottom of this depression, in the flat space between this knoll and the next, traipsed a string of human figures bearing lanterns. Automatically, Toothless and the riders descended, joining the group at its end and adopting its pace.

Not a word was spoken by anyone, including the twins and Snotlout, who brought up the rear with the utmost reverence. The line slowed and shuffled a little as a lantern was passed through it and offered to the newcomers, initiating them into the somber ritual. Fishlegs accepted it on behalf of the riders and held it up high to acknowledge the significance of the gesture.

The evening's meager light was now gone. Shadows played on the sides of the deepening valley, flickering and dancing with the swing of the lanterns. Hiccup straightened a bit on Toothless's back, grimacing in pain and stubborn determination to confront all of this head-on, not just for Hamish, Leif or Holgarth, but for all the hardy citizens of Finmark. They deserved his respect and he was more than willing to try his best to give it to them.

As the shock of movement eased a bit, Hiccup noticed the massive shapes jutting straight up from the edges of the pathway like brooding sentinels. They were rune-stones, carved and placed by ancient hands to mark this as a pathway to sacred ground. The runes he could make out were not all that foreign to him. There were homages to various gods, invocations to ward off evil and provide safe passage to Valhalla, beautiful and poetic phrases honoring the dead. Scattered between the supplications were names of warriors, former chiefs and other notable individuals, both male and female. As he took them in, Hiccup hoped that Hamish's name would soon be etched in stone alongside them, never to be forgotten.

The rows of silent guardians ended and the pathway dropped as the hills on either side rolled apart to rim a flat, much broader plain. This area of the valley was devoid of plant life except for the occasional patch of thin grass. To the far right, the land was curiously dotted with piles of stones and a few rune-covered cairns—smaller versions of the ones he had just been contemplating—but most of these were not worn with age or weather. They had been constructed recently. Very recently.

Hiccup's stomach clenched as he realized that these were fresh graves. Each and every one, large and small, would forever stand as raw reminders of the horrors inflicted on this island, permanent wounds that would never really heal. Chilled to the soul, he tore his eyes from the macabre scene, focusing instead on what was immediately in front of him. The pathway skirted this deathly field, coming to an end at the base of a large, ash-blackened mound with a low wooden structure dominating its peak. He recognized the four sturdy posts, the dry bundles of kindling at the top…

A funeral pyre.

To be sent beyond in a fury of flames was the highest of Viking honors, one usually reserved for glorious chieftains and mighty heroes who had given their all and fallen in battle. Hamish, the loyal and brave Finmarkian, the son of the chief and now a symbol of bitter endings and tender beginnings, had indeed sacrificed everything.

The villagers collected a safe distance away from the mound while the Berkians withdrew to the outer edges of the group. Eerie silence enveloped them, so thick that Hiccup could almost touch it, and then it was chased away by the echo of footsteps.

Hiccup's breath caught in his throat as he squinted up the path. Four stout warriors carried between them a stretcher and bearing a torch several feet behind was Holgarth. He seemed to have aged a hundred years within a day and all about him was the warped and weary aura of a man laboring under a heavy, invisible burden. It was unsettling.

At that moment, the young Berkian chief made a decision, hauled one leg over Toothless's back and slipped to the ground.

"What're you doing?" came one dragon rider's urgent whisper behind him.

"Wait, you're going to hurt yourself even more," hissed another.

Completely disregarding the naysayers and the fresh attack of lightning in his limbs, he slid his good arm around Toothless's just as he had while exiting the library. Clinging to him and taking a deep breath, Hiccup inwardly called upon every ancestor he could remember to help him stay upright, if only for this moment.

The faithful dragon threw in his own grunt of concern for good measure, but complied and supported his friend as he began hobbling. Without a single word or question, the villagers parted to allow man and dragon passage and the two stopped at the side of the path as the melancholy procession passed right in front of them.

He could not bring himself to believe or accept what he saw in his brief glimpse. _Hamish is only asleep, _came the deluded whisper in his mind. _Any second, he'll sit up and smile and tell me this was all a misunderstanding or a nightmare or something. He'll get better. He'll be back in his library soon. He'll be with his family..._

Hiccup knew these were vain wishes the gods would never grant. They had not answered in those long nights after Stoick's death, when the new chief heard his father shout his name through a blinding flash just before snapping wide awake, drenched in sweat and tangled in his covers. They had not answered in those black hours when Hiccup, huddled alone in the cold emptiness, screamed out in answer to that shout only to receive silence in return.

No, Hamish would remain perfectly still and colorless on the stretcher, his fatal wound concealed under a clean blue tunic, a book settled on his chest under stiff hands. It was the same book he had been reading on the steps the night of his violent and undeserved end. Heroes, Hiccup recalled as his heart sank further, were always laid to rest with their most prized weapon as a reminder of their skill and devotion in life. Hamish's weapon was not a precious sword or war-beaten shield. It was knowledge. Without his books and maps or the sheer courage to venture into the unknown armed only with what he'd learned from countless hours of study, Grabber and its mate would still be out there. They would still be killing.

Unable to stand it any longer, Hiccup leaned sideways into Toothless, resting his forehead on his arm while succumbing to the utter numbness of reality. Sensing his distress, Toothless sidled closer, trying to bolster his friend with a nuzzle and a reassuring lick to the face. After a few seconds, he lifted his head a little, giving the dragon a grateful scratch under the chin.

The warriors had arrived at the pyre and were now settling the stretcher on its waiting bed of kindling. It was then that Hiccup noticed out of the corner of his eye something extraordinary occurring within the surrounding clusters of villagers. He looked up in wonder as each remaining citizen of Finmark, young and old alike, lowered their lanterns to the ground, crossed their open hands one on top of the other, then brought their fingertips to their lips.

This simple yet powerful tribute revived in him the tiniest spark of willpower, thawing the numbness a bit and prompting him to pull himself upright again with a much-needed boost from Toothless. How could he have forgotten them so quickly, wallowing in his own heartache? He was here to stand with them and he would stand as long as he was able. Cautiously, he found the least painful balancing point on both legs and let go of the Night Fury's neck altogether, bringing the fingers of his left hand to his own lips. He felt someone else at his elbow and turned to see Astrid and the other riders rallying around him, every one of them crossing their hands and bowing their heads.

Holgarth now approached the pyre, catching the gaze of his much younger fellow chief on the way. Their eyes locked and Hiccup saw in the other's the familiar struggle to maintain confidence before his people while combatting unfathomable inner turmoil. The old warrior was communicating in a language he understood all too well.

Hiccup lowered his trembling hand to his chest, placing it directly over his heart and curling the fingers into a fist and, with a nod, sealed their unique connection. Each was a leader left floundering in a void of sudden loss, wondering how he could possibly pick up and carry on while still managing an entire tribe.

The Chief of Finmark broke eye contact and slowly turned to the pyre as Hamish's guards stepped aside, pausing for a few seconds as if frozen with uncertainty and regret. Like a pack of wild dogs, the tongues of flame licked and writhed greedily at the end of the torch as they were finally lifted into the air and set loose upon their prey. The pyre was engulfed immediately as fire leapt from kindling to body, consuming everything in its path with a vengeance.

Holgarth staggered back from the incredible heat to stare for a moment, then drew his sword and plunged it deep into the ground with the force of Thor himself. With an agonized cry, he fell to one knee before the disintegrating remains of his son, gripping the sword's hilt like a lifeline.

From somewhere within the assembly, a low voice began to hum a single note. Faint at first, it grew stronger as new voices joined in. Then, above the steady drone, higher and airier voices sent up a dark melody that sounded ancient as the hills themselves. Soon the atmosphere was filled with smoke and the strains of bittersweet longing for more promising days, lamentation for loved ones they would never see again, and yearning for the comforts of home and hearth they had been deprived of for so long.

It was too much. The song struck Hiccup to the core, stabbing him in all the places he hurt the most and sapping out his remaining shreds of stamina. He struggled to drive back the fog, to fortify his stubborn barrier, but it was no use. The limit was long past, the dangerous boundary shattered. He was no longer in control. There was absolutely nothing he could do to fight the pain any longer, to prevent the inevitable collapse as his legs gave way beneath him.

Toothless wheeled around in alarm as Astrid gasped and barely caught him in time to turn the fall into a semi-controlled landing. Blurred faces congregated over him, calling his name, asking if he was alright, telling him to hang on and stay with them...

The last sound to reach him before everything glazed out of focus was what he thought to be the distant, haunting call of a hunting horn.


	17. Chapter 17

Hiccup awoke to find that the storm had passed while he slept, leaving behind the faintest feelings of hope and new beginnings. Unlike the last time he had opened his eyes in the shelter of this library, he was not immediately broadsided by a wall of pain and sadness. It had dulled somewhat, but was still an unwelcome presence lurking at the back of his mind.

He never fully lost consciousness after his collapse and vaguely recalled the mix of concerned voices punctuated by somebody hauling him onto Toothless's back. He remembered woozily insisting that he was fine and could take it from here, but nobody seemed to believe him.

The memories became patchier after that, random visions and feelings sprinkled between bouts of grey and black before exhaustion won out. He must have been asleep for hours, at least all of last night and well into the day. The coals in the cauldron had cooled and the windows glowed with welcome midday sun.

It was much less painful to lift his head now than it had been the day before, but he was slightly disappointed to note the absence of a certain blond at his bedside. Cautiously, he raised himself from the cot into a sitting position, allowing his consciousness to catch up with his body while sweeping the room for any other occupants. He was alone this time. Not even Toothless was there to greet him. Feeling curious, Hiccup stood and limped to one of the windows, leaning against the desk that took up the space beneath it.

The waves bashed against the cliff in their relentless effort to claim the island, but somehow seemed much less brooding in daylight. The air was clean and fresh without a cloud to be seen, a complete opposite from what he'd experienced on Finmark up to this point.

Lovely as the view was, Hiccup couldn't bring himself to venture out into it yet. He wasn't ready. The raw emotions of the day before had not quite begun to scab over and wouldn't for several more months. Like the punctures in his leg and the damaged bone in his arm, they were deep, deep wounds that would take time to heal.

Taking a breath, he leaned back, about to return to the cot when he took full notice of the desk supporting him. It was small, carved out of beautiful, dark wood, the surface vacant except for the worn notebook pushed off to one side with a charcoal pencil shoved between the pages. The scene suggested a hasty exit by its last occupant, and Hiccup knew exactly who that was.

This was where Hamish had been sitting the night Grabber made its last raid on Finmark. The night he'd saved them from dying trapped inside the Hall. The night before he couldn't be saved in return.

The legs of the chair tucked under the desk scraped as he pulled it out, the sound almost deafening in the library's peaceful stillness. Hesitantly, he reached for the notebook, leather and bindings rasping softly against wood as he slid it in front of him. Removing the pencil, he took a rapid flip through its pages, a strange familiarity gathering inside him as each one rushed past. Hiccup was no stranger to keeping journals. He had volumes stacked at home full of notes on dragons and anything else that could possibly be useful for daily life on Berk.

Hamish's was much the same. From what he could see, the young man had charted constellations, kept records of the island's weather patterns, even added a sarcastic note here and there on some of the villagers, including his brother. However, as he neared the end, the notes, particularly the ones about Leif, became less irritated, more respectful, even hopeful. On the last written leaf was a single passage.

_Someday they will notice me._

_Someday I'll be accepted for who I am. _

_Someday I'll make a difference. _

The word "difference" was unusually sloppy compared to the tidy script before it. This was where Hamish's attention had been permanently diverted. This marked where Fate had favored him one last time, then tossed him into the waiting hands of Death. How ironic it was that he hadn't survived to watch his own prediction unfold in the coming days of renewal.

Hiccup closed the notebook, plunging into a wave of reflection.

He and the other Berkians had noticed him. They noticed as he came floating unconscious into their territorial waters after a nearly fatal voyage into the unknown.

They had accepted him. They had listened to his tale and offered their help, never once pausing to wonder why he seemed so different from the rest of his people.

Hamish had made a difference. Without him, Grabber would have torn them to shreds in the confinement of the Hall. And without hesitation, he had offered himself up to spare his brother from an unfathomably torturous death.

And that was where his story ended. On a blank page opposite the haunting last words. It seemed so harsh, so abrupt and improper for such sacrifice...

Hiccup picked up the pencil. Using his heavily bandaged right arm as a weight to keep the journal open, he began to sketch.

….

The light tap on his shoulder pulled him from the doze. He must have fallen asleep right here with his head on the desk shortly after closing the journal.

"Hm…?"

"Hey," came Astrid's welcome whisper close to his ear, "I brought you something to eat."

Blinking, Hiccup lifted his head from his not-too-comfortable pillow.

"I brought you something to eat," Astrid repeated as he straightened and eased the broken arm off the desk. She placed a chunk of bread and a mug of water in front of him. "I'm glad to see you finally woke up…" she teased, rubbing a smudge of charcoal off his cheek, "and then fell asleep again in a different spot. What were you doing?"

"I was…" Hiccup paused, not sure how to explain his personal experience with the journal to someone outside of his own head, "I was just…thinking."

Astrid nodded in understanding and offered a soft smile as she took his hand. Hers were dirty, he noticed, and her armor and fur hood had been replaced with a healthy dose of greenish-brown Finmarkian mud.

"Speaking of 'what were you doing'…"

"We started cleanup early this morning," she answered. "It's going well so far, but we can't do it all by ourselves, even with the help of the dragons. I…I hope you won't mind me stepping in as chief for a bit and sending for backup from Berk."

Hiccup shook his head, waving one hand in a show of total agreement. Secretly, he was relieved that someone else would have to make the decisions for a while.

"No, no, I'm fine with it. I mean, I imagine I'm a pretty lousy leader while I'm asleep. You did the right thing. Who'd you send?"

"The twins."

"Um…"

"And a few warriors from the village."

"Ok, well…I guess that makes me feel _slightly_ more confident that this trip won't end in total disaster. How'd you talk'em into it?"

"You're not gonna believe it, Hiccup, but they volunteered. When I mentioned going back to Berk for help, they were the first ones with their hands in the air. All four of them."

Hiccup couldn't suppress the grin. It was easy to lump them into a single being, and they may not have been the easiest to work with, or the most civil, but they were loyal, brave and clever. You had to dig a little, but underneath the layers of mischief and mayhem and unrivaled devotion to Loki, the two had hearts of pure gold.

"They'll be back in a couple weeks," Astrid went on, "hopefully with some extra hands and supplies."

"What about the others?"

"Fishlegs and Snotlout opted to stay here and help, and you're not going anywhere for a while, so that makes me acting chief and liaison between Berk and Finmark."

"Well, listen to you, all grown up and diplomatic and stuff," Hiccup said with a wink. "Maybe you should consider taking over for me when we get home."

She looked to the rafters, shaking her head. "Oh, Hiccup."

Each withdrew into their own thoughts for a time, during which a troubling question surfaced in Hiccup's mind. A question about someone who had been strangely absent since the last view he had of him by the dark lake. He wondered why he was only just realizing this.

"Astrid," he said, bringing her out of her momentary daze, "has…has anyone seen Leif?"

"No." Her face fell. "No, not since…not since that night."

This was very unsettling news.

"Holgarth sent out search parties, but no one's turned anything up. Not a trace."

It was impossible to understand the courage it took to hold together through everything, but neither Holgarth nor his people would be able to take much more. Losing Leif would certainly send them over the edge.

"Maybe…maybe they're looking in the wrong…" Hiccup trailed off into silence, the library seeming to vanish as he coaxed out and reawakened a blurry memory. He was in Astrid's arms on the ground having just collapsed out of sheer exhaustion, all around him the cacophony of anxious companions. He slid rapidly toward the waiting haze…and then, on the very brink, he heard it. The lone call of the hunting horn…

"…Hiccup?" Astrid's faraway voice called him out of his stupor. "Hiccup?"

Though he didn't remember closing his eyes, he opened them to find her stooped in front of him, one hand on his shoulder, the other waving in front of his face.

"Hiccup," she repeated in rising earnest, giving him a shake. "Hey! Hello? Can you hear me?"

"I'm fine, I was just…" he jabbered suddenly, eyes widening as he came to a conclusion. "That…that horn call. It…it fits but…Leif was the one…he has to…why would…"

"What're you talking about?"

His brain was making connections faster than he could explain. Of course, this didn't help his case, only serving to worry Astrid further.

"The hunting horn!" he burst out finally. "Last night at the funeral right after I collapsed, remember? I…I think it might help us find Leif. No, maybe that _was_ Leif! You've gotta go tell the others. We can't let…what?"

Astrid stared at him, mouth open slightly, confusion and concern etched in the lines of her forhead.

"Okayyyy," she said at last, hauling him off the chair by his good arm and bringing it over her shoulder. "I think that's our cue that this conversation's officially over."

"Hold on, waaaaaait a second, are you saying you guys didn't hear—"

"Nope."

"But how could you not…? Oh for the love—please, _please_ don't tell me I'm the only one who heard it and that you think I'm losing my mind."

"You want to know what I think? I think you're going back to bed."

"No I'm not!" Hiccup began a feeble struggle.

"Don't make me knock you out. I'll do it if I have to."

"Oh, right, like that'll help anything if I actually _am_ going insane…which I'm about ninety-nine…maybe more like ninety-eight and a half percent sure I'm _not_, by the way!"

"Hiccup," she sighed, throwing in one of her signature eye rolls, "you couldn't possibly have heard anything. You were unconscious."

"Not completely!"

Astrid paused, giving Hiccup ample opportunity to wriggle out of her grasp and plant himself in front of her.

"Look, I _know _what I heard," he insisted. "I have no idea why the rest of you didn't—hey!"

Seeing that he wasn't about to move on his own, in classic Astrid form, she had decided to pick him up and move him herself.

"Stop," she grunted as she placed him as carefully as she could on the cot. "Please, just…just try to calm down, ok? You're hurt, you're not thinking straight and you need more rest. Plus, you're scaring me. Like, _really_ scaring me."

"But I'm _telling_ you, I have to—"

"No. No, you don't." Laying a couple fingers on his lips, she pushed him down. "You're staying right here and that's a direct order from the chief."

"Wait, what? I don't remember—when did I ever…ohhh." He deflated as it dawned on him, then laughed softly. "I don't believe it. You just pulled rank on me. Well, I mean temporary rank, but still…"

"Yup." Astrid flashed an innocent smile before planting a kiss on his forehead and smoothing back his hair. "Take it easy, babe. I'll be back to check on you later." She halted in the doorway, fixing him with an intense gaze. It was the one where he couldn't tell if she was serious or merely messing with him. "If you're not right here where I left you, you'd better believe I'll track you down, haul you back and sit on you for the next two weeks until you start making sense again."

"Yes, uh…really appreciate the unwavering support and confidence in my sanity," he called after her as she exited. "Love you too."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Spurred by a need to prove he wasn't going crazy and serious concern for Leif, Hiccup was up again shortly after Astrid walked out the door. Everyone else was occupied by navigating, sorting out and salvaging what remained of the village. It would likely be a long and thankless process, stirring up more emotions as well as requiring great physical effort. Hiccup, on the other hand, was not occupied with anything other than sitting in this room while the others worked. It was almost maddening to know that he was possibly the only individual on the entire island without a helpful task to perform. His head wasn't spinning nearly as much, he had regained at least some of his strength, and he simply couldn't let himself stand aside. He knew what he had to do.

As quickly as he could, he limped across the room and gathered up Hamish's journal and the bread, stuffing them into a small satchel he found hanging by the door. He had a hunch these particular items might come in handy later on, but they wouldn't do much good, he noted as he stepped into the cool outside air, if he couldn't make it up the craggy stone steps. Honestly, it was a wonder Hamish had never received any kind of special medal or award just for traversing them every single day.

Feeling tiny and pathetic, Hiccup stopped at the base, wondering if it would be worth a few more cuts and bruises to try his luck and make the ascent. On the one hand, he was barely on the mend after a near-death experience. On the other, how much more of himself could he hurt that wasn't already injured? He tossed these notions back and forth a few times, finally landing on the one to have a go at it. Leif was out there somewhere, wandering through his grief to wherever his feet happened to take him, which could come to an end in yet another tragedy. Finding Holgarth's son and bringing him home safe _would _be worth it.

After pumping up with several deep breaths and a futile attempt to shove back the thought that this was going to hurt, Hiccup shifted all his weight onto the peg leg, placing the injured one on the first step. Now came the hardest part. Screwing his eyes shut, he decided, after a few wobbly moments, that there was nothing for it. The still-tender muscles in his left leg coiled…

_One…two…three!_

Then he sprang, vaulting off the ground just long and high enough to put the least amount of pressure possible on the other. A stinging tongue of flame licked through his right calf, nearly making him drop back to the security of the good leg, but with a determined grunt, Hiccup landed it firmly and flung out his arm to steady himself as the flame ebbed into a lingering flicker. It was nothing like the stabbing agony he had experienced previously, which was a good sign that the deep claw gashes were healing properly and that he could possibly make it the rest of the way…

…Then again, maybe not.

Eyes following the jagged path, Hiccup gulped as his spirits sank a little with crushing realization. What was he thinking? The cliff had to be at least thirty-five feet, not to mention almost vertical to the very top. There was no way he was climbing this. He huffed, spinning a sluggish, shuffling circle to sit on the step above and drop his chin into his free hand. Somebody had to find Leif and it was possible that Hiccup was the only one with any sort of clue as to where he might be, but he couldn't do it alone.

After a beat, a small smile played across his lips and he raised his head. Of course he didn't have to do this alone. Hauling his bruised body upright, he hobbled off the step and turned to face the steep wall. It was a long shot, but there wasn't much else in the way of options down here. Hiccup had to wonder if anyone had really taken time to consider that before marooning him at the bottom of a cliff. Sure, it was all well and good while lying there unconscious, but now that he was awake with a pressing matter on his hands, it posed a bit of a problem. Hopefully, it could be easily remedied.

Cupping his hand around his mouth and closing his eyes, he pulled in a deep breath, expanding his lungs as far as they would go. Then he let it out in a loud, howling wail aimed directly at the cliff. The noise bounced off the stone face, flinging itself past him to fade into nothing over the sea.

It was a Night Fury call, or as close to one as any human could to get. Perfected over several years of practice, the riders of Berk used their various dragon-calls in situations where rider was separated from dragon without knowing where the other was. The method had proved highly effective on various occasions and hadn't failed them yet, but so far no one had needed to use it while standing below a cliff right next to roaring, breaking waves.

He waited a bit before trying again. And again. And again. Night Fury calls weren't exactly a breeze to produce, and by the fourth or fifth try, Hiccup's voice was beginning to give out, making him sound much closer to a sick Gronckle than a Night Fury.

At last, he was out of breath, out of voice and out of hope. Toothless was probably somewhere down in the village, too far away to hear him. Either that or Astrid had bribed him with a basketful of fish not to bail Hiccup out until he started "making sense" again.

He rolled his eyes. That was probably it, which was frustrating. With no way of getting up the steps, no way to get a message out, Hiccup was doomed to go back to the library and wait. Even if he could somehow send a message about what he suspected, who would believe him? Astrid had probably told the others about his little "episode" by now. He could just see the smirk on Snotlout's face.

Turning to look toward the endless sea, his thoughts gradually turned homeward as that brisk Northern wind gusted past him. He was soon so wrapped up in his own head that he failed to notice the scuffling at the top of the steps…until a loose pebble came flying down right on top of his head.

"OW! What the—"

The surprise and slight anger evaporated once he saw who was hopping down to greet him. Tongue flopping out as he descended in all his bouncing black Night Fury glory, Toothless launched himself over the last six steps, causing Hiccup to flinch as he landed with a solid thunk next to him. The dragon then sat back on his haunches, grinning happily, the words "I'm here, what do you need?" practically plastered across his broad snout.

Hiccup threw his arm around the thick neck. "Hey, bud! Where've ya been this whole time?"

Toothless snorted and looked back to the top of the steps.

"Well, you sure took long enough. Did Astrid give you any fish and tell you not to come down here?"

The dragon sucked in the pink tongue and snapped his mouth closed over it, eyes shifting side to side in an amusing display of guilt.

"That's ok," Hiccup laughed, giving him a pat. "I'm really glad you decided to come anyway. Let's go find Leif."

….

The Finmarkian burial ground was one of the last places Hiccup ever wanted to see again, but if they were to have any chance of finding Leif, there was no choice. Even in full daylight, the rune stone-lined path was quiet and eerie, heavy with mourning and memories of the dead, the wide depression waiting at the end of it even more so.

Atop Toothless, Hiccup tried to swallow the painful lump forming in his throat, but only succeeded in making it worse. Ahead of them were the smoldering stumps of the funeral pyre's four supports. It was only a quick glance, but it made him sick to his stomach knowing they would have to go near them. They were all that remained, everything else a mere heap of ash topping the mound and floating away on a trails of smoke.

"Right here, Toothless," Hiccup murmured once they reached the spot.

This was where the two had been standing the night before. This was where Hiccup needed to be to think. Carefully, he climbed down, standing as if resuming his interrupted observation of the funeral. Tilting his head in question, the Night Fury watched while he closed his eyes to concentrate.

"I need to remember," he muttered to the silent valley after drawing in a breath through his nose. "I need to remember."

He allowed himself to slide back into the events of the previous night. The cool dampness of night wrapped around him as his hand lifted to touch his lips before curling into a fist to lay across his heart. Now the pyre was ablaze, the intense heat blasting through the chill. He heard Holgarth's anguished yell, saw him drive the sword into the earth. Then came the haunting strains of the Finmarkian song, just as clear, cutting and sorrowful as the first time he'd heard them. He felt himself waver, tip. Arms wrapped around him…

And there it was.

The horn call.

With a sharp gasp, Hiccup's eyes snapped open to find that he actually was tipping over. Left arm pin-wheeling in a failed attempt to right himself, he let out a yelp before falling back against the flank of his dragon.

With a concerned, almost chiding growl, Toothless nudged him back to his feet.

"S-sorry, bud," Hiccup stammered, wincing at the pain of the sudden jolt. He hunched over a bit, catching his breath and cradling his broken arm as he sorted through what he'd recalled.

The whole scene had played out exactly as he remembered it, every feeling, every sight, every sound in place. Straightening, he glanced over his shoulder to the rolling hills directly behind them. That was where the call had come from before it split apart to echo through the valley, he was sure of it.

It made sense that none of the villagers would think of searching for Leif in this area or the hills beyond. Now that their ordeal was over, this place would likely be taboo until their hearts began to heal and their wounds turned to scars. For now, the valley would remain silent and still, a garden of ghosts.

Sensing that a conclusion had been made, Toothless swung around in front of him, crooning softly. It was time to go.

Hiccup's mounting procedure was automatic and routine, albeit a little slow and hampered, but the dragon stood patiently, offering supportive rumbles here and there. Once settled, Hiccup forced himself to take one last look at the disintegrated pyre out of respect for the dead…and froze.

Something glinted beside one of the charred stumps. It was small…no, _they_ were small. There was definitely a pair of objects resting in the warm sunlight. Whatever they were, they didn't fit in at all with their blackened, ashy surroundings. The sight of two bright beacons of light shining out from a mass of darkness was almost…comforting, serene even, stemming from some kind of sincere offering of humility and honor.

With a light touch, Hiccup turned Toothless aside. Once his attention was snagged as well, the dragon hurried forward, nose snuffling the scents in and out with inquisitive puffs. The young chief's heart pounded faster as the two objects took the form of the halves of a beautiful, broken hunting horn.

….

The slouched figure was visible from the crest of the hill that shadowed it. Hiccup and Toothless's short journey from the burial grounds had taken them through several rises and falls, each bigger than the last. There were no more hills after this one. Its slope made one long, grassy trek down into a sheltered, rocky cove about half a mile away. After scrambling off Toothless's back, Hiccup stood a while, staring at the gloomy scene, gathering his composure and mentally navigating his way down the steep slope before he tried it for real.

Once he was ready, he eased one leg over the crest, making sure it was firmly planted before attempting another move. Thankfully, Toothless was by his side within half a second and together, the two made their cautious way toward the despondent form.

It stirred, head tilting slightly at the sound of their approach. Thanks to the peg leg, Hiccup wasn't the quietest person when it came to walking, especially on terrain other than flat ground. The metallic click was difficult to miss for anyone who wasn't used to hearing it on a daily basis.

Letting go of Toothless, Hiccup shuffled the last few feet by himself and took a seat beside the warrior, who remained staring out to sea. The Berkian scanned him quickly, noting the telltale unkempt signs of too many days without enough sleep. Along with the dull, sunken eyes and expressionless face, he realized Leif was still wearing the same bloodstained tunic he'd had on that fateful night. Unable to take it in anymore, Hiccup swallowed, turning his gaze away while Toothless made himself comfortable on Leif's other side.

Aware that the man must not have eaten much lately, if anything at all, he found a distraction in pulling out and offering the bread. It was accepted immediately and the three were quiet for a very long time, even after it was devoured.

Waves clashed with rocks. Gulls wheeled and screeched overhead. The sun dipped lower in the sky. The world carried on without them.

"Used to play here as kids," Leif finally croaked through a voice that hadn't had much use in the past few days. "Ham was always asking questions. 'What's this? What's that'? I hardly ever knew the answers, so he'd go off in search of them himself. I…I always secretly admired him for…"

He couldn't go on.

"We lost our previous chief about a year ago," Hiccup said after a breath. "It was an accident. He saved my life."

Leif remained motionless.

"He wasn't just our chief. He was also my…my father." Hiccup was forced to pause as the memories flooded in and almost overwhelmed him, making his voice crack. He tended not to say much about the incident outside the safety of close friends and family. It was too difficult.

"We're not the same person and we never really saw eye-to-eye on a lot of things," he pushed on, "but I couldn't ask for a better example of what a chief should be. Of…of what a _person_ should be."

Slowly, the Finmarkian man shifted enough to see Hiccup out of the corner of his vision, eyes bloodshot and dry with days of torment and the inability to produce any more tears. He opened his mouth, but it was several moments before he spoke.

"How…How do you go on?"

It was a question Hiccup had posed to himself quite often since the sudden passing of his father. In all reality, he didn't know how, he just…did. Perhaps now was the time to put it all in perspective, not only for himself, but for Leif as well.

"When I finally accepted that he was gone, I…guess I chose to stop mourning and start celebrating him instead."

"Celebrating?" This was obviously not the answer Leif had been expecting.

"Yeah," Hiccup replied with a faint smile as something inside him loosened. It was as if an icy hand that had unknowingly been gripping his heart for months had released, allowing warmth to penetrate and spread. It was a feeling he hadn't known he'd been missing for over a year, the last thread in the knot he had blindly struggled to free himself from all this time. It was peace.

"Yeah, celebrating," he repeated. "I realize now that it's what he would have wanted me to do. Every day I find more and more that…maybe we're not as different as I thought, that there's a part of him in me and…and if I keep and honor that part, he'll always be there."

Leif's head lifted a little and Hiccup was relieved to see a small flicker of the former pride and confidence return to his eyes. He had gotten through.

"Come back to the village," he urged. "Your people need to know you're alive. Your father needs to know. He deserves it and you deserve to be with your family and tribe." He drew out the journal, passing it to its now rightful owner. "It's…it's what Hamish would have wanted."

There was a lengthy silence while Leif considered the proposal, gently turning the book over in his battle-roughened hands.

"Alright," he said at last. "I'll come back. But…I have to know, how did you find me here?"

"Your hunting horn," Hiccup answered simply.

Leif blinked, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise. "You heard it from all the way over there?"

"Yeah, I did. If I remember right, the wind was picking up from this direction because of the storm and it must've carried. It's strange, though. Nobody else seems to have heard it." Hiccup shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I was meant to be the only one."

The older man thought a few seconds, then clapped the younger on the back with a sturdy hand, a broad smile rolling across his face as the Berkian gritted his teeth against a sharp yelp of pain.

"I guess we'll never be sure," Leif's voice was on the way back to its normal, boisterous level, "but I'm glad to see that you survived to hear it."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The return of Holgarth's eldest son was the final, encouraging nudge the villagers needed to push past their grief and make peace with all that had occurred. The dreary heaviness of the island lifted a little with every passing day, carrying away the mists on welcome rays of sun. The general mood of the people lightened as well and bit by bit, laughter and happiness began to shine through the widening cracks of their harrowing ordeal.

From the ashes of despair, the roots of a new settlement were nurtured. By the sweat of their own brows and the strength of own backs, the hardy Finmarkian people dug the solid foundations and raised the sturdy frames of life anew. Between the fresh skeletons of dwellings, children ran about and played while their parents shooed them out from underfoot. Adults commented on the improvements in the weather or discussed the next season's fishing prospects. These were the comforting, familiar sounds of a community, the sounds of friends and families simply carrying on.

The remaining Berkians and their dragons did their best to contribute in any way possible. They shoveled mud, heaved stones, stripped bark from logs without a single complaint. The dragons proved most useful in the task of hauling away the ruins of the former village. With every weighty load they towed, the people gave a raucous cheer in farewell to the last reminders of the attacks. Naturally, the dragons took it as praise and puffed out streams of smoke as they sought to further impress the spectators.

Even Hiccup—who flatly refused to go back to the library on the cliff—got in on the action wherever he could, taking odd, less strenuous jobs here and there until he settled on one in particular. One that allowed him to participate in the rebuilding of Finmark while letting himself rest and heal. Soon there would be many new homes that would need roofs to shelter their inhabitants. Hiccup gladly accepted the challenge and was content to remain in the Hall, weaving thatch and chatting with villagers about his homeland as they came and went throughout the day. Young and old alike hung on his every word like flies on honey, fascinated by his tales of training dragons, fending off intruders and day-to-day life on Berk.

When the sun dropped low in the sky and his sleepy audience dwindled, Holgarth and Leif would appear beside him. It started as a brief exchange of condolences and thanks. As time rolled on, the three began to converse deeper into the nights, swapping stories of legendary battles, happy times, memories of lost family members and, in the case of Holgarth, sharing chiefly advice with his much younger equivalent.

This was their cathartic evening ritual. It was their way of loosening the remaining shadows still clinging stubbornly to their hearts, of further easing the dull sting of wounds as they closed. The two warriors, Hiccup noticed, still appeared haggard and tired, their faces lined with stress and concern for the welfare of their people. But in each of their countenances, Leif's especially, was a growing warmth, a seed of reconciliation, a humble thread of faith. There was still a long, uneven road ahead of them, but they were going to be all right. All three of them. The Berkian chief could feel it in the darkest, most frigid and grief-stricken corner of his soul as it thawed.

….

The days swept by more swiftly than anyone realized and before he knew it, Hiccup was standing on the Finmarkian dock, watching several ships brimming over with familiar faces glide smoothly into the harbor. Berk had arrived and what an entrance. They had come with piles of food and seeds, heaps of bedding and clothes, barrels of spare tools and weapons. There were even a couple of yaks, several sheep and a crateful of squawking chickens. Among the new arrivals, he spotted some of the best craftsmen his people had to offer.

Hiccup's heart swelled within him to see that so many of them had temporarily left their own village behind and willingly come. Practically half the island seemed to have squeezed into each vessel, straining them to their bursting points. It couldn't have been a comfortable trip, especially with livestock and a two-headed dragon along for the ride, but he was absolutely thrilled they had made it anyway. The twins had really pulled through on this one.

A crowd of curious villagers flocked around him, the younger ones pushing and shoving for a glimpse of the strange boats and the interesting foreigners aboard them. Excited voices cried out in greeting and welcoming and all too soon, Hiccup found himself in the middle of a humming beehive of activity.

He grinned as someone's gruff voice cut straight through the racket like a hot hook through fresh yak butter. The multitude parted to allow passage of a large, grizzled individual with a couple of metal limbs.

"Move aside, move aside," Gobber said, as if herding yaks. "Got a wee bit of a mind to speak with the chief now. No, my chief. Not yers. Aha! There ya are."

Gobber's remaining hand clapped down on Hiccup's shoulder, making him wince a little as the larger Viking ran a quick head-to-toe inventory, expression creasing into a frown.

"Ye've looked better, that's fer sure."

He was right, but Hiccup's many injuries had healed significantly in the last couple of weeks thanks to the work of the odd little healer and his own restful stint as a thatcher and storyteller.

"I've looked worse, too," he returned.

"Well, then, the twins came sailing back to ol' Berk with a strange tale indeed. Somethin' aboot you getting smashed underneath a giant, smelly wolf-creature and then losin' yer lunch, eh?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "They _would_ tell you that part…"

Gobber gave a chuckle. "Aye, laddie, they did. But I'm lookin' forward to gettin' the rest o' the details straight from the source himself."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow.

"Eh…the ones aboot yer encounters with the creatures, mind ya. Not of ya chuckin' all over the place. Had plenty o'that when y'were just a wee little runt. In fact, I remember a time when—"

"Okayyy," Hiccup cut in, "this is embarrassing enough already. I'll tell you everything later, I promise. Listen, how about we head up to the Hall so you can, you know, meet the chief? Mingle? Stretch a bit? Maybe get something to eat? The food here is amazing."

Gobber's eyes lit up at the prospect of grabbing a bite. "Aye, laddie. I could do that."

….

_Several months later._

The weather on Berk cooled rapidly with the threat of winter, transforming the island into a jutting spire of white ice. Far to the south on Finmark, however, winter was a much warmer, milder affair. This was how work on the new village had progressed steadily over the past few months.

The view coming into the harbor was vastly different from the last time Hiccup had arrived. Where there was once smoke and destruction, fear and sadness, a settlement sprouted. Chattering people moved between the houses, bustling with the wonderfully mundane tasks of calm, everyday village life. Healthy animals could be seen, bleating and grunting as they rooted through the dusting of snow for any last tender green shoots. At the top of the hill in the distance stood the Hall, stalwart and proud as ever, a symbol of perseverance against all odds. The only missing element was the presence of a certain bright-eyed librarian. The gaping absence reawakened in him the old ache.

It wasn't surprising that the first Finmarkian to greet him as he jumped down from the boat was Leif. Immediately, the man pulled him into a friendly, but crushing embrace.

"Chief Hiccup!" the warrior boomed in all his god-like glory, lifting him off the ground a few inches. "It's been a while, hasn't it? So good to see you again!"

Hiccup didn't have enough air left in his lungs to answer, but it didn't matter because Leif wouldn't have let him get a word in anyway. The man dropped him back to earth, slapping his shoulder and grinning ear-to-ear.

"Well, you certainly look much more recovered than the last time I saw you."

Hiccup's injuries, inside and out, were indeed only the remnants of a terrifying experience now. It was a slow process, and there were plenty of bumps along the way, but with the encouragement and love of friends and family, his recovery had progressed well. He no longer awoke in the night to the sound of his own screams. The broken bone in his arm was whole again and the punctures and cuts had disappeared into nothing more than scars of experience.

"Follow me," Leif said suddenly, grabbing a handful of one of Hiccup's sleeves. "I have something to show you. Something I think you will like."

"Wait, where—" he started.

Before any of his Berkian companions could exit the boat, Hiccup found himself being tugged along behind Leif. Fortunately, his tall, leggy frame was just about the right size to keep up with the warrior's long strides.

"Where are you going?" someone shouted behind him.

"Um…no idea, be right back!" their chief answered.

People waved cheerfully as the two young men rushed through the village. They hadn't forgotten the face of the dragon-riding chieftain that had aided in their salvation.

Leif pulled Hiccup up the pathway, past the Hall and down into the narrow valley below it on the other side. They were headed to the burial grounds, Hiccup realized, throat tightening a slightly. Was he ready for this, he wondered? Was he ready for his first trip back to this place since he'd gone searching for the then-bereaved Finmarkian? All the way through the snaking valley they raced, a confused and breathless Hiccup dangling at the end of Leif's grip...until they stopped in front of the stone wall etched with names and runes.

Hiccup's pounding heart nearly stopped, his eyes widening and jaw dropping open at what was immediately in front of him. Skillfully and lovingly carved into the smooth surface in a space all its own was a drawing. _His drawing_. The one he had sketched on the last empty page of a journal months before.

Framed inside a large rectangle was Hamish, stone eyes gazing straight back into his own, every bit as bright and brilliant as they had been in life. Beside him in the top right corner, Thor hurled forks of lightning across a roiling sky as waves dashed against the helpless boat below it. In the left stood a tiny human figure, head tilted upward to glare defiantly into the gaping jaws of a nameless nightmare. A sleeping bird rested on Hamish's outstretched right palm, signifying the peace this courageous Finamrkian had delivered to his homeland, the peace he was now a part of. In the crook of his left elbow was a book, the cover emblazoned with a compass rose. At its center, curled in a serpentine spiral, was a Night Fury.

"I carved it all myself," Leif said quietly. "Like it?"

Dumbstruck, Hiccup blinked, unable to comprehend or find words for several moments.

"L-like it?" he spluttered finally. "Why wouldn't I…I mean _look_ at this! This is...this is incredible. How did you…?"

"It was very strange. For some time after you went home, my father and I searched for an appropriate way in which to honor and memorialize Ham's bravery." Leif broke off briefly as his eyes became wet. Then he swallowed. "One day, I was sitting in the library thumbing through the journal and…and there it was. This drawing. It was perfect. Just…beautiful. Someone left it for me to find, I'm sure of it."

Hiccup had never intended for the drawing to become any kind of sign or miracle. He had simply been working through his own troubling emotions in the only way available to him at the time. How odd, yet so very fitting it was that his wish for Hamish's story to be immortalized in stone along with those of his forebears had come true. And unwittingly by his own hand.

"You know," he said after breathing in deeply and smiling, "I believe they did."

….

_This is Finmark. Although its damp and foggy much of the time, there's always that exceptional day or two of cloudless blue horizons, sparkling seas and striking sunsets. Though I can't call this land home, I came here willingly to lend a helping hand to the ones who do. _

_A village once stood here; proud, prosperous, full of laughter and life. The silent ghosts of its past will forever linger. But with the strength of strangers united under the common goal of defending and reclaiming all that was lost, a village stands here once again. Every single home his brand new. They are patiently observing the stories of generations unfolding within their walls. Not all of these homes are occupied, though. Those few are the ones awaiting the rebirth of a damaged tribe._

_Not even the fiercest clan of warriors can weather the challenges of this untamed world alone. Together we are strong. As a chief and a fellow human being, it's my job to take care of my tribe, to make sure we're ready for whatever may have the audacity to throw itself in our direction. And it's our privilege as fellow Vikings to spread a protective wing over those who may not be so lucky._

* * *

**Final Author's Note:**

Dear readers,

I wanted to thank all of you fantastic individuals for staying the course and seeing this crazy idea of mine to the end. This was purely an experimental leap for me (both in writing and as a cathartic way to channel my owns personal and emotional struggles) and I'm happy to say that I think I made it to the other side without leaving too much damage in my wake.

I'm sure it couldn't have been easy for you all to to stick with it. I imagine it was probably pretty frustrating to wait sometimes months on end for an update *COUGHLASTSUMMERCOUGH*. And I admit that that more than once, I nearly abandoned this project altogether. But you are wonderful, patient people and I appreciate your genuine encouragement and have enjoyed reading your comments and reviews. They mean the world to me as I continue to learn about myself and grow as a writer and a person.** THANK YOU**! :D

As for what's next for this tale, I feel like it has a lot of potential to be fleshed out quite a bit. I fully intend to work it over, possibly rewrite it when i have the chance. When this will happen, I don't know. Revising is a long and tiring process, especially on top of everything else in life, but it's always worth it. In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy it for what it is.

All the best and my sincere thanks,

deepfathom

(PS- I am currently attempting to illustrate some of my fics and I have completed several for "Hail to the Hiccup" already. If you would like to take a look, feel free to PM me and I will link you to my tumblr or deviantART account. I also plan to put together some notes and a few thoughts about what went into creating this story. If you are interested, those will be posted on my tumblr blog as well.)


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